Bhubaneswar, Sep 30 (PTI) The ruling BJP in Odisha on Wednesday alleged the BJD skipped discussions on the amended mines law during the recent Assembly session because an overwhelming majority of its donations came from mining companies, and challenged the opposition party to an open debate on the issue.
The Naveen Patnaik-led opposition party countered the charge by asserting that it maintained a clean record of donations and dared the BJP to reveal the amount the party in power received from the corporate sector.
The Odisha assembly’s monsoon session, which was adjourned sine die on Monday four days ahead of schedule, witnessed frequent disruptions as opposition BJD and Congress MLAs kept demanding the withdrawal of the Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Amendment Act, 2026, passed by Parliament in August.
Under the amended law, the Centre seeks to take under its control the regulation of mineral-bearing lands containing mineral deposits in accordance with parameters prescribed under the legislation. Opposition parties in Odisha have alleged that the law “snatches the rights” of mineral-rich states and weakens their financial autonomy.
In the face of the opposition’s allegation that the BJP “snatched” the state’s rights over the mineral-bearing land for the benefit of mining companies, the party’s Odisha unit spokesperson Anil Biswal claimed the BJD was the “biggest beneficiary” of donations made by mining companies.
“Of the Rs 775 crore donations received by the BJD, Rs 682 crore, nearly 88 per cent, came from mining companies. The BJD must explain why mining firms had made such substantial contributions to the party and whether the donations were linked to the alleged waiver of penalty dues recommended by the Justice M B Shah Commission,” he said.
The commission, in its 2014 report, said that minerals worth Rs 60,000 crore were illegally extracted in Odisha between 2008 and 2011 under political patronage and by defying rules. It proposed a CBI probe into the irregularities and also suggested Odisha recover the amount, which could be used for developing the affected Keonjhar and Sundargarh districts.
Biswal accused the BJD and the Congress of stalling Odisha Assembly proceedings when the government was willing to hold a discussion on the amendments to the mines law.
“Why are the BJD and Congress shying away from an open debate on the MMDR amendment?” Biswal asked, challenging the BJD to participate in an open discussion on both the MMDR Act and the recent CAG reports.
Hitting back, BJD senior vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra said, “The BJD has not indulged in any illegality. Like BJP and other parties across the country, the BJD has received donations from different sectors. We received funds in a transparent manner.”
“The BJP should reveal how much they received from the corporate sectors. Are they working for the corporates for donations?” he told PTI.
BJP spokesperson Biswal also claimed the recent CAG report has exposed how funds were siphoned off within the mining administration and in mining-affected areas during the tenure of the previous BJD government.
“The BJD is staging political protests over mining revenue, but the CAG has identified serious irregularities in the utilisation of the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) funds that were intended for the welfare of mining-affected communities during the party’s long period in power,” the BJP spokesperson said.
Pointing out that the Narendra Modi government introduced the DMF system to ensure that mining revenue reaches affected people, he said the CAG report has brought to light the “misappropriation” of DMF funds amounting to approximately Rs 2,880 crore during the BJD’s reign.
“The BJD is now misleading the public by claiming that the MMDR Act will harm the interests of mining-affected areas. However, the CAG report reveals how they siphoned off funds meant for the development of these areas while in power,” Biswal said.
However, BJD leader Lekhasri Samantsinghar rejected the allegation and accused the ruling party of trying to mislead people by presenting wrong figures.
“They should read the CAG report first before levelling allegations. The BJD government has not misutilised DMF funds. It spent money at places where it is most needed,” she said and sought to know why the Central government does not allow the CAG to audit PM Care funds utilisation and Nirvaya funds.
She also alleged that the BJP changed the mining law to benefit corporates. PTI AAM AAM NSD
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.