Government must respect freedom of expression: Vice President

New Delhi, Dec 20 : Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday said people in the country loved their freedom of expression and public representatives must respect the mandate.

"People expect better life and their hopes and expectations are high. Opposition must have their say and government can have its way," Naidu said after giving away Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards here.

"You (government) should have capability to listen to the opposition. (Later) You do what you want to do."

Discussions and debates always helped finding out solutions and there should be understanding to accommodate each others' views, he added.

Talking about journalism, Naidu said it was started as a "mission" but nowadays some people were using it for "commission".