The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Monday demanded the resignation of Odisha’s Steel and Mines Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena. This came after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided the premises of his authorised representative in Ganjam district. The raids were linked to illegal and unauthorised excavation and sale of minor minerals like sand. BJD leader Lenin Mohanty said in a press conference that the ED raids proved the involvement of the Minister’s designated representative, Sunil Patra, in sand theft. "In a formal letter addressed to the Ganjam district collector, the Mines Minister had authorised Sunil Patra as his representative in the mining, police and court departments. After Sunil Patra’s involvement in illegal sand mining was exposed during the ED raid, the Minister’s direct association with the illegal activity became evident," Mohanty said. He added that incidents of sand and mineral theft had sharply increased since the BJP came to power, and claimed this theft is happening with the ruling party’s encouragement. The BJD pointed to official figures showing that revenue from minor minerals dropped from ₹1,485 crore in 2023–24 to ₹600 crore in 2024–25. Revenue from major minerals also fell from ₹50,000 crore to ₹34,000 crore during the same time. The party said the revenue loss is “extremely unfortunate” and that illegal mining raised construction material prices. ED’s Bhubaneswar Zonal Office carried out searches at over 25 premises across Ganjam linked to illegal sand and black stone mining, and related businesses. They seized ₹2.63 crore in cash, documents, property records, mining leases, and high-end benami vehicles bought with criminal proceeds. The ED said they targeted brokers, criminal syndicates, and people using muscle power to force illegal mining and sales while terrorising locals. The Comptroller and Auditor General had earlier flagged massive illegal mining along riverbeds in Ganjam causing huge losses. Mining leases were being unlawfully obtained and misused by syndicate members, according to the ED. "Mining licenses that are issued in the names of other leaseholders are not transferable and prohibited under law. This unauthorized usage of licenses which are in the name of the other lease holders, allow members of the syndicate to extract more sand or blackstone than permitted by government regulations," the agency stated. Despite many demands and complaints, the government has not taken strict action, the BJD said. The party has again demanded the immediate removal of Minister Jena from the Council of Ministers.