Debate must lead to national interest, not disruption: Vice President at Ramnath Goenka awards

Emphasizing the centrality of dialogue in a functioning democracy, Vice President C P Radhakrishnan on recently said that “discussion, debate and even dissent” must ultimately culminate in decisions that serve the national interest rather than trigger disruption.

Delivering the keynote address as Chief Guest at the 20th edition of the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards, Radhakrishnan underlined the role of rigorous exchange in strengthening governance. “It is through questioning assumptions, engaging differing viewpoints, and accommodating dissent respectfully that policies are refined and gain legitimacy,” he said, asserting that democratic discourse must remain constructive.

In the presence of Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu, the Vice President presented awards to 25 winners across 18 categories spanning print, digital, and broadcast journalism, including investigative reporting, politics, sports, feature writing, and regional language journalism.

Reflecting on the legacy of Ramnath Goenka, Radhakrishnan recalled the iconic blank editorial published by The Indian Express during the Emergency in India. “These awards, now in their 20th year, honour a legacy defined by courage,” he said.

Touching upon governance, the Vice President credited the NDA government led by Narendra Modi with lifting 25 crore people out of poverty, while stressing that development must remain inclusive. He also reiterated the Prime Minister’s call, made during the Ramnath Goenka Memorial Lecture last year, to shed the lingering colonial mindset—an objective he said remains a challenge.

Earlier, Viveck Goenka, Chairman and Managing Director of The Indian Express Group, outlined the evolving demands of journalism. He said future journalists must be both technologically adept and “humanly irreplaceable,” engaging audiences across platforms—text, video, and audio—while adapting to changing reader habits.

“The role of journalism is not to take sides, but to illuminate,” Goenka said, adding that the enduring mission is to equip citizens with information to make informed choices. “The need for truth will only grow stronger and more urgent,” he noted.

In a sharply worded address, Raj Kamal Jha, Chief Editor of The Indian Express, reaffirmed journalism’s core purpose: uncovering stories that those in power may prefer to remain hidden. “We don’t need certificates—from politicians or editors. What we need is the respect of the reader,” he said, stressing credibility over validation.

Anant Goenka, Executive Director of the Group, presented a commemorative portrait of the Vice President, created by Shyam Kumar Prasad of The Financial Express.

The ceremony saw the host of political leaders and dignitaries across party lines, including MPs Manish Tewari, Anil Baluni, Rajeev Kumar Rai, Rajeev Shukla, BJP leader Rajendra Agarwal, CPI general secretary D Raja, and senior lawyer-politician Ashwani Kumar, along with Mongolian Ambassador Ganbold Dambajav.

The jury for the awards, instituted by the Ramnath Goenka Foundation, included former Supreme Court judge B N Srikrishna, academic C Raj Kumar, media educator K G Suresh, philanthropist Rohini Nilekani, and former Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi.