How Naveen Patnaik plans to revive BJD using mining Bill

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik's outburst came days after he wrote to Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi seeking an all-party meeting and a special session of the Assembly to oppose the recently passed legislation. (File Photo) 8 min readBhubaneswarAug 20, 2026 07:13 PM IST First published on: Aug 20, 2026 at 07:12 PM IST In his sharpest offensive yet against the BJP-led NDA government over the “hasty passage” of the MMDR Bill, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik is turning the issue into a larger political battle to regain the ground his party lost after the 2024 polls. Terming the Centre’s move as a “conspiracy to weaken Odisha”, the former Odisha Chief Minister revived his familiar regional pitch, positioning himself as the custodian of the state’s interests and vowing to fight for Odisha “till my last breath”.