A massive joint mass gathering of the INDIA bloc was held at Rayagada district headquarters, demanding the repeal of the MMDR Amendment Act-2026 and calling for a massive Assembly gherao in Bhubaneswar on September 29.
Addressing the gathering, INDIA bloc leaders alleged that the Narendra Modi-led NDA government had introduced the MMDR Amendment Act-2026 to undermine the constitutional rights of states over mineral resources and negate the implications of the Supreme Court’s Constitution Bench judgment of July 25, 2024. They said the judgment had recognised the power of state governments to levy taxes and collect revenue from mineral resources, including the recovery of arrears for the period from 2005 to 2024.
The leaders claimed that the judgment could have enabled Odisha to receive approximately Rs 1.10 lakh crore in retrospective revenue and a minimum annual revenue of Rs 20,000 crore from 2024 onwards. They alleged that the amendment was enacted to prevent the state from exercising these financial rights and to weaken its authority over mineral-bearing land.
The INDIA bloc parties further alleged that the amendment would undermine Odisha’s federal rights and threaten the land, livelihoods and traditional rights of tribal and farming communities living in mineral-rich areas. They accused the BJP-led government of promoting policies that would benefit corporate mining interests while leaving local communities to bear the consequences of environmental pollution and displacement.
Calling for a united resistance, the leaders urged the people of Odisha to mobilise against what they described as a conspiracy to weaken the state’s economic and constitutional rights.
