Rabi Ray is an India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n socialist politician, a former speaker of Lok Sabha

Lok Sabha

The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...

 and a former Union minister of India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. He hails from Orissa

Orissa

Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...

. He joined the Socialist Party

Socialist Party (India)

Socialist Party has been the name of several political parties in India, all of which have their roots in the Congress Socialist Party formed during the freedom struggle...

 in 1948, and later became member of the Samyukta Socialist Party

Samyukta Socialist Party

Samyukta Socialist Party , was a political party in India from 1964 to 1972. SSP was formed through a split in the Praja Socialist Party in 1964. In 1972 SSP was reunited with PSP, forming the Socialist Party....

, the Janata Party

Janata Party

The Janata Party was an amalgam of Indian political parties opposed to the state of emergency imposed by the government of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her Indian National Congress...

 and the Janata Dal (Secular)

Janata Dal (Secular)

The Janata Dal is a Centre-left ಕನ್ನಡ: ಜನತಾ ದಳIndian political party led by former Prime Minister of India H.D. Deve Gowda.The party recognized as state party in the states of Karnataka and Kerala . It was formed in July 1999 by the split of Janata Dal party. It has political presence mainly in...

.

Early life

Ray was born on 26 November 1926 at Bhanaragarh village in the Puri district

Puri District

Puri being a coastal district of Orissa, is famous for its Historic antiquities, Religious sanctuaries, Architectural Grandeur, Sea-scape beauty,moderate climate.It holds a wealth of attraction for the visitors. It boasts of a continuous history from the 3rd Century B.C...

 of Orissa, He passed his B.A. examination in History from the Ravenshaw College

Ravenshaw College

Ravenshaw College is located in Cuttack, India.The college was established in 1878 for Thomas Edward Ravenshaw, a descendant of William Withers...

 in Cuttack

Cuttack

Cuttack is the former capital of the state of Orissa, India. It is the headquarters of Cuttack district and is located about 20 km to the north east of Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa. The name of the city is an anglicised form of Kataka that literally means The Fort, a reference to the...

 and later studied Law in the Madhusudan Law College in Cuttack.

Political career

In 1967,he was elected to the 4th Lok Sabha

4th Lok Sabha

List of Members of the 4th Lok Sabha, elected February–March 1967. The Lok Sabha is the lower house in the Parliament of India.-Important members:* Speaker:**N...

 from Puri constituency

Puri (Lok Sabha constituency)

Puri Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 21 Lok Sabha constituencies in Orissa state in eastern India.-Assembly segments:Assembly segments, which constituted this parliamentary constituency before delimitation of parliamentary and legislative assembly constituencies in 2008 were:# Balipatna#...

 in Orissa

Orissa

Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...

. In the 4th Lok Sabha, he was the leader of the Parliamentary Group of the Samyukta Socialist Party (SSP). In 1974, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha

Rajya Sabha

The Rajya Sabha or Council of States is the upper house of the Parliament of India. Rajya means "state," and Sabha means "assembly hall" in Sanskrit. Membership is limited to 250 members, 12 of whom are chosen by the President of India for their expertise in specific fields of art, literature,...

 from Orissa and he completed his term in Rajya Sabha in 1980. He was the Union minister of health and family welfare in Morarji Desai Ministry

Morarji Desai Ministry

Morarji Desai was sworn in as Prime Minister of India on 24 March 1977. Here is the list of ministers in his ministry with portfolios.- Cabinet ministers :*Morarji Desai-Prime Minister*Charan Singh-Deputy Prime Minister of India-Home...

 from January 1979 to January 1980.

In 1989, he was re-elected to the 9th Lok Sabha

9th Lok Sabha

List of Members of the 9th Lok Sabha, elected May-June 1989. The Lok Sabha is the lower house in the Parliament of India.- Important members :* Speaker:...

 from the Kendrapara constituency

Kendrapara (Lok Sabha constituency)

Kendrapara Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 21 Lok Sabha constituencies in Orissa state in eastern India.-Assembly segments:...

 in Orissa as a Janata Dal candidate. On 19 December, 1989, he was unanimously elected as the Speaker of the 9th Lok Sabha. In 1991, he was re-elected to the 10th Lok Sabha

10th Lok Sabha

List of Members of the 10th Lok Sabha, elected during Indian general election, 1991 held during May-June 1991. The Lok Sabha is the lower house in the Parliament of India.-Important members:* Speaker:...

 from the same constituency. Since 1997, he is associated with a non-political organization, the Lok Shakti Abhiyan