Bhubaneswar: BJD leader and agriculture minister Damodar Rout on Friday stirred a controversy stating that Jai Rajguru, a household name in the state, was not a freedom fighter and his fight against the British Raj in 1804 was not a freedom struggle.

"Instead, the war led by Buxi Jagabandhu in 1817 against the British should be considered as the first war of Independence," he said.

The controversy has surfaced at a time when the state is celebrating the 200 years of Paika rebellion that Odisha claims to be the first war of Independence.

Incidentally, the portrait of Jai Rajguru adorns Parliament complex in New Delhi, as several historians considers him to be the state's first freedom fighter.

Addressing a public meeting in Khurda on Thursday evening, Rout said: "Jai Rajguru had fought against Marathas. The Britishers wanted to enter Odisha and had promised to give Rajguru two Parganas (cluster of villages). Since they did not keep their word, Rajguru fought with the British in 1804. But the British had suppressed him within three to four days. But, the war waged by Buxi Jagabandhu in 1817 was the actual fight against the Britishers."

Stating that he had immense respect for Jai Rajguru, Rout said: "When I was the culture minister, I had constituted an expert team under the chairmanship of eminent historian B.C. Roy. He was asked the by the government to chronicle the freedom struggles of Odisha. They had submitted a report to the government."

Rout said: "The report clearly speaks about Rajguru's role. I am only quoting that report."

Senior BJP leader Biswa Bhusan Harichandan, who, too, had stoked controversy by saying that the Kalinga war involving emperor Ashoka was a figment of imagination, did not agree with Rout and said the minister should not have made such a statement.

"Jai Rajguru had fought against the British Empire. He should be considered as a freedom fighter. He had fought for the country and was the first martyr in the history of freedom struggle," Harichandan said.

Professor at the department of history, Utkal University, Ashok Patnaik did not agree with Rout.

"We should not consider the anti-British movement with such a narrow view. When the British occupied Odisha in 1803, there was public anger against Britishers. It was reflected in various forms of struggles. We should stick to our claim of the war that started in 1817 as the first war of Independence," he said.