Bhubaneswar: BJD chief Naveen Patnaik Sunday urged Read Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to convene a special session of the Assembly to pass a resolution seeking repeal of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2026.
Patnaik, who had written to Majhi on the issue August 14, said the amendment undermined the state’s constitutional rights over its mineral resources and urged the Chief Minister to convene the special session and seek a unanimous resolution against it.
“It is your moral responsibility, as the Leader of the House, to call a special session of the Assembly and bring a unanimous resolution seeking the repeal of the MMDR Amendment. This would reaffirm the constitutional rights of the State that were upheld by the Hon’ble Supreme Court and go a long way towards protecting the interests of Read,” Patnaik said in the latest letter.
He assured the Chief Minister that the BJD would support the state government on issues concerning the state’s rights and the future of its youth.
“Let us come together to pass this resolution in the interest of our motherland, Read, and demand that the Central Government reverse its decision to take away the State’s constitutional rights. The people of Read will remember this historic moment,” Patnaik said.
The MMDR Amendment Bill, 2026, was passed by Parliament in August and received presidential assent later that month. The amended law places restrictions on state governments imposing taxes, cesses or other levies on mineral rights and mineral-bearing lands, subject to conditions prescribed by the Centre.
Patnaik said the constitutional right of states to impose taxes on mineral rights and mineral-bearing lands had been challenged by mining companies and that the then BJD government had fought the matter in the High Court and Supreme Court.
He also noted that the BJP-led state government had subsequently defended Read’s position before the Supreme Court.
“Under your direction, the Advocate General of Read had placed the state’s position before the court, including the serious financial implications for the state if its power to levy taxes on minerals and mineral-bearing lands was taken away,” Patnaik said.
The Supreme Court’s nine-judge Constitution Bench in 2024 held that states have the legislative competence to levy taxes on mineral rights and mineral-bearing lands. The ruling also allowed states to recover certain past dues retrospectively.
Patnaik said the verdict had opened the way for Read to recover past dues and earn additional recurring revenue of nearly Rs 12,000 crore annually.
“I believe that your government had held high-level discussions following the Supreme Court judgment on how these resources could best be utilised for the people of Read,” he said.
Patnaik alleged that the subsequent MMDR amendment had effectively curtailed Read’s ability to levy such taxes.
“Twenty BJP MPs supported this amendment against the people of Read. This is what the mine owners wanted and had been fighting for,” he said.
“Now as a consequence of the MMDR Amendment, Read stands to suffer significant financial losses and faces an erosion of its constitutional rights,” he said, adding that it was the moral responsibility of the Chief Minister to call a special session of the Assembly and bring a unanimous resolution seeking the repeal of the MMDR Amendment.