Full Breakdown
Odisha’s Mass Protests Over the MMDR Amendment Act, 2026
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Core Event: Statewide bandhs and assembly standoffs
On September 29, 2026, the INDIA bloc announced a statewide bandh for October 8, 2026 to demand repeal of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2026 (MMDR Amendment). A rally near Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s residence in Bhubaneswar turned violent after police halted a march toward the chief minister’s house, leading to arrests. The opposition Congress also scheduled a bandh for October 8, 2026, while the farmers’ outfit Naba Nirman Krushak Sangathan (NNKS) called a bandh for September 30, 2026 over alleged textbook irregularities.
Background & Context: The MMDR Amendment and state-level concerns
The Lok Sabha passed the MMDR Amendment on August 13, 2026, introducing restrictions on states’ ability to levy taxes on mineral-bearing land and shifting greater regulatory control to the centre. Odisha, contributing roughly 44 % of India’s mineral output, argues that the amendment curtails its constitutional right to tax mineral resources—a right affirmed by a 2024 Supreme Court judgment.
Data & Statistics: Projected revenue impacts
- The INDIA bloc estimates a total revenue loss of INR1 lakh crore and INR12 000 crore annually.
- BJP MP Sambit Patra cited a lower retrospective tax liability estimate of INR62 000 crore.
- Odisha’s Economic Survey 2025-26 recorded mineral revenue of INR51 127 crore for 2025-26, with a target of ?INR53 000 crore for 2026-27.
Official Statements & Responses
- A senior BJP leader said he had written twice to Chief Minister Majhi requesting a special assembly session and a resolution opposing the law, receiving no reply.
- Congress president Bhakta Charan Das condemned the BJP-led government for adjourning the assembly sine die instead of answering questions on the MMDR Bill and announced the October 8 bandh.
- Union Ministry of Mines maintains that the amendment aims to facilitate exploration of critical minerals and does not dilute states’ rights over land or mineral taxes.
- BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi urged the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Congress to read the Act before objecting, noting that it was passed with consideration of state interests.
Criticism & Opposition
State BJP president Manmohan Samal accused the Congress of habitually opposing reforms, saying, “They were opposing GST, mining reforms also. The Congress has lost its identity among the people.”
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Revenue loss estimates differ: the INDIA bloc cites INR1 lakh crore total loss, while a BJP representative cites INR62 000 crore as the retrospective tax liability.
- The Union Ministry of Mines says the amendment does not reduce state tax powers, whereas the BJD and Congress argue it “snatches” those powers. No independent audit of the Act’s fiscal impact has been released.
Verbatim Quotes
- “The BJP government adjourned the Assembly sine die instead of answering our questions on the MMDR Bill, ‘vote chori’ and CEC Gyanesh Kumar. But they can’t adjourn the people’s questions. We are staging agitation before the CM’s residence,” — Bhakta Charan Das, PCC president
- “I would like to humbly request BJD and Congress to read and understand the MMDR Amendment Act 2026, which has been passed by Parliament, and then argue on it,” — Aparajita Sarangi (ANI)
What’s Next
- Demonstrations are scheduled for October 7, 2026 in Keonjhar district and a statewide bandh on October 8, 2026.
- BJD leaders plan to expand agitation to district blocks and may halt mineral transportation if the amendment is not withdrawn.
- The INDIA bloc indicated that additional economic blockades could be organized across key mining belts depending on the outcome of the October 8 bandh.