While dissent is the essence of democracy, people should place national interest at the centre of their actions and not indulge in violence, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said on Friday.
He also said people must follow peaceful, democratic methods and function according to the spirit of the Constitution, a statement issued by the Vice President's Secretariat said.
Naidu made these remarks against the backdrop of the agitations against the amended citizenship law getting violent and spreading in various states. Two people were killed in Karnataka and one in Lucknow during the protests on Thursday.
Naidu was addressing a gathering at the launch of a book on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Noting that the unity, safety, integrity and sovereignty of the nation were of paramount importance, the vice president said people must move forward in a constructive and positive manner and should not do anything that would be detrimental to the country's image, the statement said.
Naidu, who is also the chairman of the Rajya Sabha, urged public representatives to live up to the expectation of people and effectively utilise forums such as Parliament and the state legislatures to highlight the issues of the masses.