BJD MPs meet Arjun Meghwal; seeks recognition to Paika Bidroha

Insight Bureau:  A delegation of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MPs on Monday met Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal seeking declaration of ‘Paika Bidroha’ of 1817 as India’s first War of Independence against British Empire.

BJD MPs Dr Amar Patnaik, Dr Sasmit Patra, Dr Achyut Samanta, Sujeet Kumar, Prasanna Acharya, Ramesh Majhi, Munna Khan ,  Pinaki Mishra and Chandrani Murmu met Union Minister Meghawal today on the death anniversary of the great freedom fighter from Odisha Jayi Rajguru and sought his immediate intervention into the issue.

The BJD MPs in a memorandum stated that “Paika Bidroha” also known as the Paika Rebellion took place in 1817, which was India’s first organized armed rebellion against the British raj. This was the First war of Independence for India which was 40 years before the revolt of1857, which was later termed as 1st War of Indian Independence against British Colonialism. This battle was fought under the leadership of Baxi Jagabandhu of Odisha. The legend . of the heroics of Baxi Jagabandhu as well as the valiant Paikas of Odisha continues to inspire the 4.5 crore Odias since the last two centuries. It is time, that this struggle and sacrifice by a generation ofOdia I people got its due place in the annals of history. The Paika Bidroha led the path in energizing and mobilizing the people of India and created strong resistance against the British raj, which ultimately led to the British having to leave India and India gaining its independence from foreign rule”.

“On18th July, 2017 the Odisha Cabinet of Ministers led by Chief Minister of Odisha Shri. Naveen Patnaik, passed
a resolution to declare Paika Bidroha as First War of Independence. On 19th July, 2017 Hon’ble CM Shri. Naveen
Patnaik wrote a letter to then Hon’ble Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh requesting to declare Paika Bidroha as the first war of Independence. The people of Odisha wholeheartedly supported this proposal and were overjoyed that finally the rich heritage and culture of the land of Paikas would be rightly recognised which it richly deserves”, the letter said.

The letter further stated that “On 20th July, 2017, a massive Bicentenary Celebration of the heroic Paika Bidroha was held at New Delhi which was inaugurated by the then Hon’ble President of India Shri. Pranab Mukherjee in the presence of Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha Shri. Naveen Patnaik. There also the demand for declaring the Paika Bidroha reverberated and echoed. People of Odisha across all walks of life were ecstatic and hopeful that Paika Bidroha would be declared as the first war of independence”.

“On 23rd October, 2017, the then Hon’ble Union Minister of Human Resource Development Shri. Prakash Javadekar in a press meet at Bhubaneswar announced that “Paika Bidroha will find a place as the First War ‘of Independence against the British Rule in the history books. The students shall learn factual history of 1817.” This brought great happiness to the people of Odisha that after long years of struggle and with the leadership of Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha Shri. Naveen. Patnaik, finally the Centre had agreed to the proposal of Naveen Patnaik to declare the Paika Bidroha as the First War of Independence:, the letter stated.

“However, people of Odisha were shocked, anguished and pained when they recently came to know that the Centre had refused to declare Paika Bidroha also known as Paika Rebellion as the First War of Independence. In reply to an
Unstarred Question No. 485 of 2nd December, 2021 in the Rajya Sabha, Parliament of India, the Hon’ble Union Minister of Culture, Government of India has mentioned that “Paika Rebellion cannot be called the First War of Independence.” Further painful is the reply, that this historic Paika Bidroha would be reduced to just a ‘case study’ in the Class-8 history textbook of NCERT which deals with the 1857 event, thereby rendering this momentous Paika Bidroha just as a footnote to the 1857 event”, the memorandum stated.