Venkaiah Naidu stresses self-regulation of media, speaking in mother tongue

Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu at an event to mark the launch of the New Delhi edition of Marathi daily Lokmat on Thursday.

Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu stressed the importance of talking in one’s mother tongue, the role of regional-language press and the need of self-regulation in the Indian media at the launch of the New Delhi edition of Marathi newspaper Lokmat on Thursday.

Apart from Naidu, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Prakash Javadekar, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Chaudhary Birender Singh were some of the political heavyweights present at the event.

Naidu, who has often emphasised the importance of vernacular media, said that families must speak in their own language at home. “Language and emotions move together better when conversed in the mother tongue,” he said.

The Vice-President said that rights and responsibilities go hand in hand, and “self-regulation is the best regulation” for media. “There should be self-regulation, otherwise the law will have to step in.”

He also advised the media fraternity that views must not be mixed with news, and nationalism must be given importance, ending sensationalism. “News is public good, use the power to influence wisely,” and it should be used to get to the truth, Naidu said.

He added that media must help in the development of a national outlook in the country. He mentioned that there exists an urban-rural divide in the country today, and along with that a feeling that Parliament and the press do not pay attention to rural India. He also brought up the “menace” of paid news.

Congratulating the Lokmat group for marking their presence in the national capital with their new edition, former prime minister Manmohan Singh said the media has an especially important role in our democracy “when there are forces that always want to curb the role of media”.

Singh reiterated British journalist C P Scott’s maxim that in journalism facts are sacred and opinion is free. Lokmat group is owned by Vijay Darda, former three-time member of the Rajya Sabha for Congress. The launch of the Delhi edition also marked the centenary year of the media group.