Noted socialist leader and former Lok Sabha speaker Rabi Ray passed away at age 91.
He had served as the Union minister of health and family welfare in the Morarji Desai led Government from January 1979 to January 1980.
He was the speaker of ninth Lok Sabha from 1989-1991.
In 1991, he was re-elected to the 10th Lok Sabha from Kendrapada in Odisha.
He was also a ex chairman of Common Wealth Speakers Forum.
He was born on November 26, 1926 at Bhanragarh village in Khurda district of Odisha.
Born on 26 November 1926, Rabi Ray passed obtained his bachelor’s degree in History from the Ravenshaw College in Cuttack.
Later, he studied Law in the Madhusudan Law College in Cuttack.
In 1948, he joined the Socialist Party as its member. During 1953-54, he held the post of the Joint Secretary of the All India Samajwadi Yuvak Sabha.
Under the leadership of Rammanohar Lohia, Ray founded the Socialist Party in Orissa in 1956.In 1967, he was elected to the 4th Lok Sabha from Puri constituency in Orissa.
He was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Orissa in 1974.
