New Delhi, Mar 19 (PTI) Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said the imposition of the Emergency in 1975 was the reason behind him joining politics.

Addressing the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards here, Gadkari said he cannot forget the two-year struggle the nation had waged against the imposition of the Emergency when several of his family members too were sent to jail.

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He said Ramnath Goenka, the founder of The Indian Express newspaper, also had to pay a big price for opposing the Emergency.

"Ramnath Goenka kept his commitment to democracy and kept on his struggle... many had to pay the price... many families had to pay the price," Gadkari said, recalling his meeting with the newspaper baron in the company of RSS stalwart Nanaji Deshmukh.

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He hailed Goenka's leadership during the Emergency, saying the media baron never wavered from his principles.

Speaking at the event, Viveck Goenka, the chairman and managing director of the Indian Express Group, said, "Nothing renews journalism more powerfully than celebrating this each year. And, more so as we head into the general elections."

"The pursuit of excellence becomes incumbent on us because it's our duty to ensure that the citizens' right to know is addressed in a manner that's fair and accurate," he said.

This time, 44 winners were felicitated with the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards for their work done in 2021 and 2022 across print, digital and broadcast categories.

Established in 2005 as part of the centenary celebrations of its founder Ramnath Goenka, these awards are highly regarded within the journalism community and recognise journalists who have demonstrated exceptional strength of character and integrity while reporting news under challenging or dangerous circumstances.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)