West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, who has had frequent run-ins with the state government over a host of issues, on Wednesday said that in a democracy, opposing views should to be "gracefully" accepted.
Dhankhar, while speaking at the 237th Foundation Day celebrations of the Asiatic Society here, called on people to give precedence to "our fundamental duties".
"... Our Constitution has given us the fundamental right to express ourselves... but let us be more accomodating to the other point of view," Dhankhar said.
"One can always disagree, but with grace. If a glass is half empty, someone might say it is half full, and both are right," he added.
The governor's comments also come amid continuing protests over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in various parts of the country.
"I have no issues with any protest that does not become violent, any protest that is lawful, any protest that does not interfere in other's rights," Dhankhar said.
Noting that "we are living in very difficult times", he said, "If I don't become his enemy, I become his adversary. That is not taught by any religion."
Defending the renaming of the Kolkata Port Trust after Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the governor said he was a great son of the soil, who gave his life for the unity of the nation.
Referring to the Asiatic Society, Dhankhar said, "Not many institutions in the world can rival it. It is the mother of several institutions.
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