&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Brought two nations closer’: Why PM Modi praised Biju Patnaik in Indonesia")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday praised former Odisha chief minister Biju Patnaik for his role in helping Indonesia's leadership during the country's independence struggle against Dutch rule.
Speaking in the Indonesian parliament in Jakarta, Modi recalled how Patnaik, a pilot, safely flew Indonesia's then Prime Minister Sutan Sjahrir and Vice President Mohammad Hatta to India. He said the mission strengthened the relationship between the two countries.
"Both our nations gained independence around the same time: Indonesia in 1945 and India in 1947. When it came to sovereignty as independent nations, India became a strong voice in support of Indonesia's independence movement at the United Nations. The role played by the respected Biju Patnaik during that period, the way he safely brought Prime Minister Sutan Sjahrir and Vice President Mohammad Hatta to India, brought the two nations closer," Modi said.
The historic 1947 rescue mission
The operation took place after the end of the Second World War, when the Dutch tried to regain control over Indonesia. They launched a large military offensive and placed Prime Minister Sutan Sjahrir and Vice President Mohammad Hatta under house arrest in Jakarta, preventing them from leading the country's independence movement or leaving the city.
Jawaharlal Nehru, then prime minister of India, assigned the 31-year-old Biju Patnaik, an accomplished pilot and founder of Kalinga Airlines, to carry out a secret mission to rescue the two leaders so they could gather international support against Dutch colonial rule.
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In July 1947, Patnaik and his co-pilot wife, Gyanwati Patnaik, flew a Douglas C-47 Dakota aircraft into Indonesian airspace despite warnings from the Dutch that the aircraft would be shot down. Patnaik responded that any attack on his plane would lead to Dutch aircraft being targeted over Indian skies in retaliation.
Patnaik landed safely on a temporary airstrip, brought Sjahrir and Hatta on board, and flew them to New Delhi through Singapore on July 24, 1947.
The rescue mission helped draw international attention to Indonesia's fight for independence and increased pressure on the Dutch, who later recognised Indonesia's sovereignty.
