Overview
- BJD leader Naveen Patnaik wrote to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday requesting a special session of the Odisha Legislative Assembly to pass a unanimous resolution demanding repeal of the MMDR Amendment, 2026.
- The MMDR Amendment was passed by Parliament in August and received presidential assent; it restricts state taxes, cesses and other levies on mineral rights by making them subject to conditions set by the central government.
- Patnaik says the amendment overturns the practical effect of a 2024 nine-judge Supreme Court ruling that affirmed states’ power to tax mineral wealth and allowed recovery of past dues, and he warns the change undermines that judgment.
- Patnaik accused all 20 BJP MPs from Odisha of backing the amendment and offered the BJD’s support to the state government to build a unanimous Assembly position to press New Delhi to reverse the law.
- If the state loses the power to levy these charges, Odisha officials say the state could forfeit roughly Rs 12,000 crore a year in recurring revenue used for development projects, and so far there is no public confirmation that a special session has been called or that legal steps have been launched.