Bhubaneswar: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Leader of Opposition in Assembly Pradipta Kumar Nayak Tuesday requested Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to rename Janpath from Vani Vihar to Raj Mahal after the name of the great freedom fighter Jayee Rajguru.
In a letter to Patnaik, the leader of opposition said, “Jayee Rajguru is not only a hero for Odisha but also for the entire country. He is a role model. So, I think there can be no better tribute to him than naming a road in the state capital after him.”
“I request you to rename the current Janpath Road (Vani Vihar Square – Rajmahal Square) as Jayee Rajguru Janpath so that people of Odisha and outsiders who are coming to Odisha will know about Rajguru,” Nayak said in his letter.
Rajguru, a princely priest at the court of Raja of Khurda, revolted against the British. While collaborating with the Marathas to recapture the British occupied province a Maratha messenger was caught by the British army and Rajguru’s secret strategy exposed.
British attacked the fort of Khurda and captured Rajguru. Later, he was sentenced to death by tying his legs to the branches of a banyan tree in Baghitota, Midnapore.