Overview
- Biju Janata Dal leaders led a large rally in Bhubaneswar and forced repeated adjournments of the Odisha Assembly on Monday by staging protests and a walkout.
- BJD president Naveen Patnaik vowed to fight the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2026 until his last breath and urged all parties to oppose its implementation.
- The party has announced plans to widen action with statewide agitations, district-level campaigns, economic blockades and a halt to mineral transportation from mines.
- Odisha’s Steel and Mines Minister told the Assembly the state has not completed an assessment of the law's fiscal impact while the BJP rejects opposition claims of large revenue loss.
- The dispute raises a constitutional clash over state land powers and mining taxes with the BJD citing a July 25, 2024 Supreme Court order about states' taxing rights as part of its legal argument.