Jairam Ramesh Accuses Odisha Government of Pushing Bauxite Mines for Private Interests

New Delhi, Oct 4 : Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh has accused the BJP-led “double-engine government” in Odisha of pursuing a strategy to hand over bauxite mines to private companies, allegedly in violation of the Supreme Court’s 2013 judgment and the Forest Rights Act, 2006.

In a post on social media platform X, Ramesh alleged that the Odisha government’s approach was aimed at facilitating private interests in the state’s mineral-rich and tribal-dominated regions.

“This is undoubtedly part of the strategy of the so-called double-engine government in Odisha to give away bauxite mines in violation of the 2013 Supreme Court judgment as well as of the Forest Rights Act, 2006,” he said.

Ramesh further alleged that several private companies were seeking access to Odisha’s bauxite resources, specifically referring to the Adani Group. “Many private companies including Modani are pushing for it,” he said.

His remarks come amid longstanding disputes over mining in Odisha’s ecologically sensitive and tribal areas, particularly the Niyamgiri Hills, where proposals for bauxite mining have faced sustained opposition from tribal communities and environmental groups.

In its 2013 judgment in the Niyamgiri mining case, the Supreme Court held that Gram Sabhas must consider the religious, cultural and community rights of tribal and forest-dwelling communities under the Forest Rights Act before mining could proceed.

The Forest Rights Act, 2006, provides statutory recognition to the rights of forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers and safeguards their community and cultural rights over forest resources. The legislation has remained a key point of contention in debates surrounding mining projects in tribal-dominated and forested areas.

Ramesh’s allegations are likely to intensify the political confrontation over mining, tribal rights and environmental safeguards in Odisha. While the BJP government has projected investment, industrialisation and mineral development as key pillars of the state’s economic strategy, the Congress has sought to portray mining proposals in tribal areas as a test of the government’s commitment to constitutional and statutory safeguards, as well as judicial precedents protecting the rights of local communities.