Patnaik Seeks Special Assembly Session to Oppose MMDR Amendment
Naveen Patnaik has urged Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi to convene a special Assembly session and seek repeal of the MMDR Amendment Act, 2026.
Odisha's Leader of Opposition, Naveen Patnaik, has asked Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to convene a special session of the state Assembly and move a unanimous resolution demanding the repeal of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2026.
In a letter dated September 20, Patnaik contended that the amendment undermines Odisha's constitutional authority to tax mineral wealth and mineral-bearing land. He recalled that the state had fought protracted legal battles to defend that power, including a matter decided by a nine-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court, which he said had upheld Odisha's stand against mining companies.
According to Patnaik, that judgment cleared the path for Odisha to recover substantial past dues and to secure recurring annual revenue of close to Rs 12,000 crore. He linked that potential income to the state's development needs and its capacity to generate opportunities for young people.
Patnaik argued that the amendment subsequently enacted by Parliament had, in his assessment, stripped Odisha of its constitutional right to levy taxes on its mineral resources. He further claimed in the letter that 20 BJP MPs had backed the amendment. These assertions form part of his communication to the Chief Minister.
He urged the state government to press for the amendment's repeal and to reaffirm the constitutional rights he said the Supreme Court had protected. Patnaik added that the Biju Janata Dal would extend its support to the government in pursuing such a resolution.
The MMDR Act, 1957, is the central statute governing the development and regulation of mines and minerals in the country. The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, was cleared by the Lok Sabha on August 12 and the Rajya Sabha on August 13, 2026, and received presidential assent on August 17.
The government has said the amendment is meant to bring greater certainty and predictability to the fiscal regime for the mineral sector. It has also maintained that the change does not curtail states' rights over land and minerals, or over taxes already collected by them, noting that roughly 90 per cent of mining-sector taxes and statutory payments accrue to the states.