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It’s the press’ business to annoy govt when govt deserves to be annoyed: Morarji Desai

On 4 November 1977, Prime Minister Morarji Desai addressed state information ministers in Delhi, underlining the role and importance of a free press in a democracy.

You are meeting here for the first time after the change in government at the Centre. It has been a significant change. The way the Government was functioning in the last few years was eroding the liberty of the people and liberty of the Press and the media completely with the result that we were on the brink of a disaster. This erosion was sought to be done more through all these media than through any other agency. The people had no other source of information about many things. This created almost a paralysis of public life in the country which was highly dangerous for the health of the country and destructive of democracy altogether. We have deliberately chosen the democratic way because that is in the foundation of our culture and because it is fundamental to the development of human society.

There are only two ways of Government—the dictatorial way and the democratic way. The dictatorial way depends for its execution only on the instrument of fear and fear is the worst enemy of mankind. While democracy—the democratic way—is the only way which can enable every person to be fearless and also enable him to rise to the highest he is capable of, because it assures him the freedom of thought, speech and action so long as that does not interfere with the similar independence of other people. That is the only restriction that applies to everybody.

The change of Government took place in a very significant way, as it has not taken place anywhere else in the world, very peacefully through the ballot box and it expressed the will of the people. This also made a convincing impact not only on the people of this country, but in the whole world that is very essential for the health of democracy. The Government, therefore, as soon as it took charge, released the Press and the media from all shackles imposed by the previous Government. The Press has been restored complete liberty and the liberty is being used with a vengeance. But I don’t grudge it. It is the right of the Press to say whatever it wants to say without hindrance as long as it does not violate any law of the land, as long as it does not preach violence. Therefore, it should not be interfered with at all.........

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