A Chief Minister Who Says: Criticize Me Harder

In a world where free speech is more and more the equivalent of a slogan and press freedom is continually subjected to suspicion, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma gave a message that bears rare credibility. In his address at the Meghalaya Media Meet 2025 in Shillong, Sangma's language pierced through the standard political soundbite: "I never, and never will, tell a journalist to temper their pen."

Coming from the head of a state government who was himself elected, it is both a breath of fresh air and radical thinking. Far too often, political leaders—whether from Delhi, Guwahati, or wherever else—hope that the media will behave like an extension of their public relations system. Criticism is responded to belligerently, uncomfortable questions are labled "anti-national," and free journalists are marginalised. In that light, Sangma's assertion that the "smallest of articles, posts, and criticisms" assist him in making his decisions that impact lakhs of lives is like a breath of fresh air.

What Sangma has done is flip the narrative: he does not see criticism as a threat, but as a tool for governance. This is an acknowledgment that journalism, at its core, is not meant to please individuals but to serve the people. The CM’s reminder is starkly simple: the press must never hesitate to hold power accountable—even if that power happens to be his own.

It is telling that Sangma chose the Meghalaya Media Meet—a gathering often seen as a symbolic bridge between the state and its journalists—to make this stand. Not only did he urge reporters to criticize without fear, but his government also honoured eight veteran journalists with financial support of ₹1 lakh each. This gesture, while small in the larger political economy, is significant in a profession where many toil in silence, without security, benefits, or recognition.

What puts the message of Sangma above the ceremonial, though, is the genuineness it emanates. In a world where politicians believe criticism amounts to a personal attack, his speech creates another kind of atmosphere. They remind one that the health of democracy does not depend on leaders being praised, but on them being questioned, challenged, and, where the situation calls for it, exposed.

Of course, the sceptic within us will want to respond: is this just oratory? Politicians from both sides of the divide have, for ages, been adept at paying lip-service to the "media's role" on public platforms and meting out retribution for "recalcitrant voices" once the curtains are closed. The true litmus for Sangma's pronouncement will be seen when his government responds to uncomfortable facts revealed by the press regarding policy miscarriages, corruption, or administrative failure within Meghalaya. Free press and thin-skinned government don't mix.

But there is something inherently remarkable here. CM Sangma has gone on record publicly as a chief who doesn't call for a "soft pen." That creates a moral standard—not just for his own government, but for the others within the political fraternity as well. Just think what it would do if such a philosophy were adopted nationally: the belief that every biting editorial and hard-hitting front-page headline isn't an affront to authority, but a recipe for better government.

The Chief Minister is right: the simplest article can impact outward, shaping decisions that impact the lives of lakhs. Neither journalism nor writing for newspapers is concerned with majesty, but with perseverance—the daily grind of writing, questioning, and investigating. Comprehending that, Conrad K. Sangma has, unwittingly or otherwise, just equipped Indian journalists with a line the next time they are under the charge of being "too critical."

When democracy itself is being tried, Meghalaya's message comes through at the national level: the free press is not a privilege that governments bestow; it is the very cornerstone upon which government is founded.

CM Conrad Sangma did not quite tackle the institutional concerns that face journalists, and his statement can never undo the squeeze that the Indian press is under. But by saying that he welcomes criticism—practically begs for it—he has refused to be numbered among the ranks of the leaders who see the press only as cheerleaders. And if there is one thing the journalists need to learn from his address, it is that never compromise on the criticism. Since democracy, like good governance, only gets honed when the questioning is hard-hitting.

Also Read: Meghalaya Govt to Upgrade 50 Schools with Grants for Higher Secondary Sections: CM Conrad Sangma