Modi, Mahajan condole death of former LS Speaker

New Delhi, March 7: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Monday condoled the death of former Lok Sabha Speaker Rabi Ray.

"Saddened by demise of former LS Speaker Rabi Ray. He made a mark as a committed leader & respected Parliamentarian. My condolences," Modi said in a tweet from his official account.

Mahajan in her condolence message called him a leader with "deep commitment to the welfare of the people".

"I am deeply pained to learn about the demise of Rabi Ray. A senior leader with deep commitment to the welfare of the people, Ray was endowed with inherent simplicity and had deep faith in humanist ideals and democratic ethos," she said.

"As the Speaker of Lok Sabha, he conducted the proceedings of the House with ease, affability, simplicity and upheld prestige and dignity of the Chair. I extend my heartfelt condolences to his family members in the grief," she said.

Ray passed away on Monday following prolonged illness, family sources said. He was 91.

Suffering from age-related illnesses, Ray was admitted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack after his health deteriorated on February 12.