Exclusive: 'Governor is no rubber stamp; election process must be fair and fearless'

"A governor should not be taken to be either a post office or a rubber stamp." That's West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar expressing his views about the criticism the Raj Bawan has received from the ruling party.

In an exclusive interview to Asianet News, Governor Dhankhar said: "I take command and dictate only for the Indian Constitution. I don't believe in either 'takkar' (collision) or 'takrav' (clash) because I am expected to work in harmony, I am expected to see that democratic forces blossom."

"Democratic forces can blossom if the election process is fair and fearless. It will be difficult for a democracy to survive if the election process is polluted if there is an element of fear in the voter. I have therefore appealed to everyone that is an occasion we must put our best foot forward. All forces that are antithetical to democracy must be combatted; violence is one of them, fear is another," he added.

Appealing for a peaceful election and urging voters to cast their franchise fearlessly, Governor Dhankhar said: "It is an occasion for people of West Bengal to have a changeover image. Our 2018 panchayat elections tarnished our name. Even now elections are happening in 5 states, but reports of violence emanate from this state. I am anguished, I am pained at every incident. Violence can have no place in a democracy. Violence with an objective to instil fear smears democracy. That can't be allowed."

Watch the interview

Special Coverage: Assembly Election 2021