Eminent socialist leader, former Union Minister and former Speaker of lok Sabha Rabi Ray on Monday afternoon passed away after prolonged illness while undergoing treatment at the SCB Medical College Hospital here. He was 91 and is survived by wife Dr Saraswati Swain.
Hundreds of people rushed to the hospital and later to his Kalyan Nagar residence here to pay their last respects to the departed leader. Many also joined the procession when his body was taken to his alma maters Ravenshaw University and MS law College here. Family sources said his mortal remains would be consigned to flames at his native village in Puri district.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Governor SC Jamir and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan along with several other leaders across the country expressed their deep-felt condolences on the demise of Ray, who was loved and respected by leaders cutting across party lines.
Born on November 26, 1926 in Puri district, Ray obtained his BA degree from the Ravenshaw College and llB degree from the MS law College. His political career began from Cuttack when he became president of Students’ Unions of both the famous institutions in late 1940s.
love for the country and deep-rooted patriotism drove him to participate in unfurling the Tricolour on the majestic Ravenshaw College building early in 1947, for which he courted arrest and went to jail as a student. Inspired by Rammohan lohia, he founded the Socialist Party in Odisha in 1956 and later went on to become the national secretary of the party in 1960.
Ray was first elected to lok Sabha in 1967 from the Puri constituency and was the leader of Samyukta Socialist Party in the lok Sabha. In 1974, he was elected to Rajya Sabha from the State and was made a Cabinet Minister in 1977 by the then Prime Minister Morarji Desai when Ray was functioning as a secretary of the Janata Party.
However in 1989, when Ray was elected to lok Sabha on a Janata Dal ticket from the Kendrapada constituency, amid political uncertainty he was unanimously elected as the Speaker to preside over one of the tumultuous House as lok Sabha had witnessed a hung Parliament for the first time.
Besides his notable political contributions, Ray was also actively associated with several socio-cultural organisations including the lohia Academy and the Gram Vikash Foundation till he was indisposed due to old age. Ray has also contributed immensely to the field of literature.