Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Thursday strongly opposed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, which has been passed by both Houses of Parliament, and demanded its immediate withdrawal by the Centre. Soren described the legislation as harmful to Jharkhand’s interests and warned that failure to address the state’s concerns could lead to a large-scale movement across Jharkhand.

Addressing Jharkhand Mukti Morcha MPs, district presidents and other party office-bearers through video conferencing, Soren announced plans for a coordinated campaign against the legislation. He directed the party organisation to hold protests across districts, blocks, panchayats and urban centres. The campaign will seek to mobilise people at the local level and press the Centre to reconsider the provisions of the legislation.

Soren argued that the Bill amounted to an injustice to Jharkhand and could affect the state’s development and the interests of future generations. Questioning the Centre’s role in decisions concerning mineral resources, he argued that Jharkhand’s mineral wealth and land should give the state a greater say in decisions affecting its rights and interests. He also accused the Union government of weakening the state’s position by advancing the legislation through Parliament in haste.

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The Chief Minister further alleged that the legislation could have implications for Jharkhand’s social security and welfare programmes. He referred to initiatives including the Maiyan Samman Yojana, Abua Awas Yojana, pensions, and education and healthcare programmes, arguing that the state’s financial and developmental interests must be protected. Soren maintained that the JMM would continue to oppose the Bill and reiterated his demand for its withdrawal.

Warning of a statewide agitation, Soren said that Jharkhand would launch a major movement if the legislation was not rolled back. He directed party workers to take the campaign to villages and panchayats across the state and mobilise public support. He also warned that the state would consider further steps if the Union government did not respond to its concerns and restore what he described as Jharkhand’s rights.

JMM MPs Vijay Hansda and Mahua Maji, state minister and party General Secretary Sudivya Kumar, General Secretary Vinod Pandey, Abhishek Prasad Pintu, district unit presidents and other party functionaries participated in the virtual meeting. The announcement sets the stage for a wider political campaign by the JMM against the mineral legislation, with the party preparing to take its opposition from organisational meetings to protests across Jharkhand.

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