Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and State Planning Board Deputy Chairman Bishnu Charan Das expressed deep condolence over the demise of veteran freedom fighter, noted socialist and Gandhian leader Priyanath Dey, who was an MLA from 1961 to 1966 elected on an Utkal Congress ticket from the Jagatsinghpur constituency and worked hand in hand with Biju Patnaik.
Dey passed away on Monday at the Capital Hospital here. He was 97.
As a noted educationist, Dey was a founder-member of the Swami Vivekananda Memorial College, Jagatsinghpur. He was so much devoted to the cause of education that after the end of his tenure as MLA he worked as Headmaster of the Padmapur High School at Salepur.