Former WB chief minister S S Ray passes away

KOLKATA: Former West Bengal chief minister Siddhartha Shankar Ray died at his south Kolkata residence on Saturday evening after a protracted illness.

He was 90 and survived by his wife Maya Ray. "Ray was ill for quite a long time and had been on dialysis since March. The end came about 6:50 pm," his confidential assistant M Kaviraj said.

Ray, a close friend of former chief minister late Jyoti Basu, was elected as the chief minister in 1972.

The Congress veteran, a former Punjab governor, had also served as the Indian Ambassador to the US.

A confidant of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the 70s, he was appointed union minister (in-charge of West Bengal affairs) by her in 1971.

Ray was a grandson of revolutionary freedom fighter Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das.