Ranchi, Aug 13: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Thursday announced a massive statewide movement against the Centre’s Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, warning that the entire country would witness the agitation if the legislation was not withdrawn.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has strongly opposed the Bill, terming it a “black bill” and alleging that it undermines the rights of Jharkhand and its people over the state’s mineral resources.
The Lok Sabha passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, on Thursday, according to the information provided.
Following the development, Soren held a virtual meeting with JMM MPs, MLAs and party leaders to discuss the legislation and the party’s response.
झारखंड ऐसा बड़ा आंदोलन करेगा, जिसे पूरा देश देखेगा….
— Hemant Soren (@HemantSorenJMM) August 13, 2026
खनिज झारखंड का, जमीन झारखंड की—तो हमारे हक-अधिकार का फैसला दिल्ली क्यों करेगी?
लोकसभा और राज्यसभा – दोनों सदनों में जल्दबाजी में खान और खनिज (विकास और विनियमन) संशोधन विधेयक, 2026 पास करा केंद्र सरकार ने झारखंड के हाथ-पैरों… pic.twitter.com/s3VzpacCbN
In a post on social media, Soren said, “Jharkhand will launch a massive movement that the entire country will witness. The minerals belong to Jharkhand, the land belongs to Jharkhand, so why should Delhi decide our rights?”
The Chief Minister alleged that the Centre had effectively “cut off the hands and legs of Jharkhand” by hastily passing the legislation through Parliament.
Describing the Bill as a “black bill”, Soren said it was an injustice to Jharkhand and its people and would adversely affect the state’s development and future.
“Jharkhand will not tolerate this step-motherly treatment,” he said.
Soren also linked the issue to social welfare programmes, claiming that schemes relating to social security, housing, pensions, education and healthcare, including the Maiya Samman Yojana and Abua Housing Scheme, could face difficulties if the state’s interests were undermined.
The Chief Minister said the JMM would oppose the legislation at the grassroots level if the Centre did not withdraw it.
The proposed agitation, he said, would extend to “every district, every block, every panchayat, and every city.”
Soren further warned that Jharkhand would not hesitate to take “decisive and historic decisions” if what he described as the rights of the state and its people were not restored.
The announcement marks a sharp escalation in the confrontation between the JMM-led Jharkhand government and the Centre over mineral resources and mining policy, with the ruling party signalling a broader political mobilisation against the legislation.
