BHUBANESWAR: The INDIA bloc on Tuesday called for an Odisha bandh on October 8 to demand immediate withdrawal of the MMDR Amendment Act, 2026, resignation of School and Mass Education minister Nityananda Gond over errors in school textbooks, and the resignation and arrest of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
Addressing a demonstration near Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s official residence here, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das said Congress and its INDIA bloc allies would ensure that the shutdown is observed peacefully across the state.
The alliance had initially planned to gherao the Assembly on Tuesday. But it was changed after the monsoon session was adjourned sine die on Monday. Hundreds of leaders and workers of alliance partners, including the CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML) Liberation, Forward Bloc, Nationalist Congress Party, Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal, joined the demonstration.
Tension prevailed as protesters clashed with security personnel after police stopped them from marching towards the chief minister’s residence.
Targeting the state government for adjourning the Assembly without addressing questions over the MMDR Amendment Act and alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise, Das said the government cannot ignore issues raised by the people. “The INDIA bloc will also hold a protest in mineral-rich Keonjhar district on October 7 against the new mining law, Das announced.
He alleged Odisha would lose around Rs 1 lakh crore and Rs 12,000 crore annually following implementation of the amended MMDR law. “Rallies and economic blockades would be held across key mining belts on October 8 to halt the extraction and transportation of minerals,” he said.
CPI(M) state secretary Suresh Chandra Panigrahy said the MMDR Amendment Act, 2026, would affect the rights and economic interests of mineral-rich states such as Odisha.
“The principal demands of the protest are repeal of the MMDR Amendment Act, 2026, protection of Odisha’s mineral rights and financial autonomy, and safeguarding the state’s mineral resources from corporate plunder,” he said.