‘Paika Bidroha’ as First war of Independence: Odisha Assembly’s resolution reiterates demand

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Assembly today passed a resolution demanding the ‘First war of Independence’ status to the ‘Paika Bidroha’.

Culture and Tourism Minister Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi brought the resolution in the House seeking to recommend the Centre to declare the ‘Paika Bidroha’ as the first war of Independence. The legislators unanimously passed the resolution in the House.

Worth mentioning, people from different walks of life participated in the ‘Paika Bidroha’ from 1817 to 1825 AD and gave a strong opposition to the Colonial Britishers.

Today’s resolution was passed in the State Assembly after the Centre refused to acknowledge the Paika rebellion as the first war of Independence.

On December 2 this year, Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy informed the Rajya Sabha the Paika Rebellion in Odisha in the year 1817 could not be called the ‘first war of Independence’.

In a written reply to a question by Biju Janata Dal MP Prashanta Nanda, the Union Minister stated as per recommendations of the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), under the Education Ministry, the Paika Rebellion could not be called the first war of Independence.

Also read: Paika Bidroha Could Not Be Called First War Of Independence: Union Minister

However, Reddy said considering Paika Rebellion as the beginning of a popular uprising against the British, it would be included as a case study in the Class-8 National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) history textbook.

The Odisha Government, at a Cabinet meeting held on July 18, 2017, had decided to make a formal demand before the Centre for declaring Paika Rebellion as the first war of Independence in India’s history. A day later, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik submitted a memorandum before the Centre over the same.