Centre's Mines Bill bid to grab states’ revenue: TNCC president Manickam Tagore

CHENNAI: TNCC president Manickam Tagore on Tuesday opposed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, alleging that the BJP-led Union government was attempting to curtail the states' financial powers over mineral resources and demanded that the Bill be referred to a Parliamentary Standing Committee.

In a statement, the party said Clause 4 of the Bill, which proposes to introduce Section 9D, would restrict state governments from imposing taxes, cess or levies on mineral rights and mineral-bearing lands and seek to nullify court orders on the issue.

He also alleged that Clause 5, relating to Section 13, would empower the Union government to prescribe conditions governing the states' power to levy taxes on minerals.

Manickam Tagore said the proposed amendments sought to undermine the Supreme Court's recent verdict by a nine-judge Constitution Bench, which, by an 8:1 majority, held that states have the power to levy taxes on mineral rights.

"State financial rights should not be curtailed for the benefit of corporates," the party said, opposing what it described as an attempt to centralise powers.

The party demanded that the Bill be immediately sent to a Parliamentary Standing Committee for detailed scrutiny.

He also referred to Tiruvallur MP Sasikanth Senthil, who had written to the Lok Sabha Speaker seeking the Bill's referral to the Standing Committee, and reiterated that it would oppose any move to weaken the federal structure and the constitutional powers of states.