Bhubaneswar: BJD vice-president and agriculture minister Damodar Rout on Thursday stuck to his stand that Jayee Rajguru was not a freedom fighter and his fight against the British in 1804 was not part of the freedom struggle.

On being asked about his reaction to the chief minister's acknowledgement that Rajguru was a freedom fighter, Rout said: "Why are you putting this question to me? You should ask him."

However, Rout maintained he had great respect for Jayee Rajguru but was quoting what was written in the history books.

On Wednesday, Naveen had tweeted: "Homage to great revolutionary & freedom fighter Saheed Jayee Rajguru on death anniversary. The fearless patriot who gave his life to the motherland lives in the hearts of all countrymen."

On Thursday, Rout wrote a detailed article on the 1817 Paika rebellion in which he also slammed Union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who had earlier criticised Rout on the issue.

In New Delhi, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu had paid rich tributes to Jayee Rajguru on his 211th death anniversary on Wednesday.

"Jayee Rajguru made the supreme sacrifice on this day for the independence of this country, sparking a massive Paika vidroh or war against the British in Odisha and other parts of the country," he said.

Naidu was speaking at a programme organised by the Shaheed Jayee Rajguru Foundation in collaboration with the Odia Samaj and Odisha Forum in Delhi on Wednesday evening to commemorate the death anniversary of Jayee Rajguru.

Petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan said: "Jayee Rajguru, a great Sanskrit scholar, strategist and the regent of the minor king of Khurda, not only raised a large army of paikas but also led them from the front to defend the honour of the motherland and in the end became a martyr, being brutally executed by the British."

Former Union minister of steel and chief patron of the Shaheed Jayee Rajguru Foundation Braja Kishore Tripathy said: "In 2008, the long cherished dream of people of Odisha became a reality when Jayee Rajguru's portrait was unveiled in the central hall of Parliament by the then Prime Minister."

Senior BJP leader Biswabhusan Harichandan took part in the programme.

A book Jayee Rajguru and Anti-Colonial Resistance in Khurda, authored by historian Bijay Chandra Rath was released by the Vice President on the occasion.

A bust of Rajguru was presented to the chief guest and other dignitaries by Dayananda Mahapatra, a member of the Shaheed's clan.