Salute! Ramnath Goenka, champion of press freedom. When Haryana’s CM Devi Lal complained to him, (Goenka) saying, ‘Lala, you talk about removing Rajiv Gandhi, but your छोरा writes against me,’ Goenka stood firmly in my defense.”

Gustakhi Maaf, Haryana — By Pawan Kumar Bansal

“Salute to the late Ramnath Goenka, a champion of press freedom. When Haryana’s Chief Minister Devi Lal once complained to him, saying, ‘Lala, you talk about removing Rajiv Gandhi, but your छोरा writes against me,’ Goenka stood firmly in my defense.”
Goenka, a towering figure who stood firmly for the freedom of the press, even during the dark days of the The Emergency in India. His unwavering commitment to journalistic independence remains a benchmark in Indian media.
It is heartening to see that Rajkamal Jha, Editor-in-Chief of The Indian Express, continues to uphold and carry forward Goenka’s mission of safeguarding press freedom.
On a personal note, I owe my appointment as a Jansatta staffer in 1987 to Goenka ji. Impressed by one of my reports, he directed Prabhash Joshi, then Editor-in-Chief of Jansatta, to appoint me in Chandigarh to cover the Haryana beat. Goenka ji’s faith in me was reaffirmed when he stood by my work, even as the then Haryana Chief Minister Devi Lal, angered by my reporting, sought my removal from the state.
Tailpiece:
Prabhash Joshi, a trusted associate of Goenka ji, played a pivotal role in successfully launching Jansatta, the Hindi daily that embodied their shared vision. Unfortunately, in later years, the management failed to give due attention to Jansatta, effectively sidelining what was once the dream project of both Goenka ji and Joshi ji.