A great leader & an astute administrator.As an Central Education Minister, had personally arranged admissions during 1970's of many students of Bengal to other state institutions to complete their education as most of the bengal colleges' academics were severely disrupted due to NAXAL violence. I for one am immensely grateful to him for helping me to complete my B.E.(Mech)from Sardar Patel University, Gujarat due to indefinite closure of my beloved college, REGIONAL ENGG. COLLEGE, DURGAPUR (known now as NIT,Durgapur). I am sure, many like me would also share the same feeling & gratitude. MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE. Offer my heartfelt condolences to Mrs. Maya Ray & their dear ones. I still can visualise Manu da with Red T- shirt & white pants walking on Eden Gardens turf & greeting the spectators during test matches!!!!
Mr.Rahul Gandhi, do you know that he was one of the last villains of Emergency in India. It is always Bharatheeya tradition to say only good things about the deceased persons. I say "may his soul rest in peace."
I do not support the political views of late Siddhartha Sankar ray. I also believe that he presided over the mass-killing in Bengal in 70s and in Punjab in 80s. However, he was a gentleman - which was proved after the death of his arch-rival Jyoti Basu earlier this year. Following the death of Jyoti Basu, Siddhartha Sankar Ray unhesitatingly admired Jyoti Basu not only as an effective politician but also as an honest and principled individual who never compromised with anything in his life. This shows that Siddhartha Sankar was capable of paying tributes even to his political enemy - with whom he shared a personal friendship from early youth.
Siddhartha Ray might not have been a good politician, but he was a gentleman - which is proved by his ability to admire even his political opponents.