New Delhi [India], MARCH 28 (ANI): Vice-President C.P. Radhakrishnan on Friday underscored the foundational role of dialogue in a functioning democracy, declaring that discussion, debate, and even dissent must serve the national interest rather than fuel disruption. He made these remarks as Chief Guest at the 20th edition of the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards, held in New Delhi.

'It is through the rigorous exchange of ideas, the questioning of assumptions, and the respectful accommodation of differing viewpoints that policies are refined and decisions gain legitimacy,' the Vice-President said. 'I firmly believe that discussion, debate and even dissent should ultimately lead to decision making in the interest of the nation, rather than disruption,' as per the press release.

Paying tribute to the legacy of publisher Ramnath Goenka, the Vice-President recalled the iconic act of publishing a blank editorial in The Indian Express during the Emergency, a powerful symbol of press courage and editorial independence.

'These awards, in their 20th year of inception, honour the legacy of Shri Ramnath Goenka ji, which was defined by courage,' he said.

Radhakrishnan also highlighted the achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, noting that its most significant accomplishment had been lifting 25 crore people out of poverty. He stressed that development must be inclusive and echoed Prime Minister Modi's call, made at last year's Ramnath Goenka Memorial Lecture -- for India to shed its colonial hangover, acknowledging this remains an ongoing challenge, as per the press release.

The awards were presented by Vice-President Radhakrishnan with Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu in attendance, as per the press release. In his welcome address, Express Group Chairman Viveck Goenka reflected on the evolving demands placed on modern journalism. 'The journalist of the next 20 years will need to be, simultaneously, more technically capable and more humanly irreplaceable than ever before,' he said, stressing the need to reach readers across all formats and platforms. He reaffirmed that journalism's core mission remains unchanged: not to take sides, but to illuminate, equipping citizens with the information they need to understand their world and exercise their freedoms, as per the press release.

Chief Editor of The Indian Express, Raj Kamal Jha, said, 'Good journalism will remain, at its core, about telling stories we did not know -- stories that someone in power does not want us to know', adding that journalists must earn the trust of readers not by telling them what they want to hear, but by telling them the truth.

The ceremony was attended by prominent dignitaries including Lok Sabha MPs Anil Manish Tewari, Anil Baluni, and Rajeev Kumar Rai; Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Shukla; BJP leader Rajendra Agarwal; CPI General Secretary D. Raja; lawyer-politician Ashwani Kumar; and Mongolian Ambassador Ganbold Dambajav. (ANI)