If There Had Been a Non-BJP Government at the Centre, Would BJP MPs Have Supported This MMDR Bill?: BJD

• Odisha Cannot Be Deprived of Its Mineral Resources in the Name of “National Interest” and the Future of the State’s Gen Z and Gen Alpha Cannot Be Pushed into Darkness
• Odisha Has Sacrificed for the Nation; Odisha’s Constitutional Rights Must Not Be Taken Away
• Disaster-Prone Odisha, Mineral Resources Have a Crucial Role in Tackling Disasters
• Why Is the State Government Silent on the AG’s Argument That Odisha Will Suffer Huge Losses if Mining Tax Arrears Are Not Received?

Bhubaneswar, 03/09/2026:At a press conference held today at SankhaBhawan, senior general secretary of the BijuJanata Dal, Dr. LekhashreeSamantasinghar, strongly criticised the Central Government over the proposed amendments to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act. She said that Odisha’s constitutional rights cannot be taken away in the name of “national interest.”

Dr. Samantasinghar said that Odisha has always stood for the nation and the people of Odisha have made many sacrifices for the country. For decades, Odisha’s mineral resources have powered India’s industrial and economic progress. The BJP Government at the Centre cannot take away Odisha’s constitutional rights in the name of national interest. These rights are guaranteed by the Constitution. They are not a gift from the Central Government or from any political party.

Odisha faces cyclones, floods, droughts and other natural disasters every year. Despite this, the State’s long-standing demand for Special Category State status continues to remain pending before the Central Government. At a time when Odisha needs greater resources to strengthen its development and disaster resilience, the State’s mineral resources have a crucial role to play. Odisha cannot now be deprived of its right to mobilise resources from its own resources for the empowerment of its people.

Mineral resources are finite and cannot be regenerated. If mineral extraction continues for another 20 or 30 years, many of our mineral resources may be exhausted. What will remain for our future generations? Dr. Samantasinghar questioned what guarantee the Central Government can give for the future of Odisha’s new and coming generations, particularly Gen Z and Gen Alpha.

Dr. Samantasinghar further said that this issue is not merely about today’s revenue but is linked to inter-generational justice and Odisha’s future economic security. Odisha can never accept excessive extraction of its mineral resources and leaving behind a mineral-deprived future for the coming generations.

Questioning the silence of BJP MPs from Odisha, she said, if there had been a non-BJP Government at the Centre and that Government had brought changes to the Mines and Minerals law in the name of “national interest,” would the BJP MPs from Odisha have remained silent in the same manner? MPs have been elected to protect the interests of Odisha, and their silence when the constitutional and economic interests of the State are at stake is condemnable. The interests of Odisha cannot be ignored for the sake of party interests.

She further referred to an affidavit proposed to be filed before the Supreme Court by the State’s Advocate General, Shri Pitambar Acharya, in which it was stated that Odisha would face huge financial losses if the mining tax arrears were not received. If the Advocate General had stated before the court that Odisha could suffer losses amounting to thousands of crores of rupees, then on what basis is the State Government today arguing that Odisha will not suffer any loss? The people of Odisha are entitled to a clear answer to this question.

The Central and State Governments must clearly explain the impact of the proposed changes to the Mines and Minerals law and ensure that Odisha’s constitutional rights, economic interests and the interests of future generations are fully protected.Odisha has been contributing its mineral resources towards nation-building. Odisha will continue to stand firmly with India in the future as well, but Odisha cannot be asked to sacrifice its own future in the name of “national interest,” Dr. Samantasinghar said.