Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday exhorted successful civil services candidates to connect more with people in a bid to increase public faith in democracy. He said a “crisis of credibility” has emerged in Indian politics due to often false promises made by politicians and the perception that bureaucrats only exist to create hurdles for the public.

Singh was addressing successful candidates of the UPSC at an event in Lucknow on Sunday. He was on a three-day visit to the state capital which is also his parliamentary constituency. He also urged the candidates to listen carefully to their suggestions and act on them if they find them useful as they “represent the aspirations of the people”. Singh said often the representatives are dismissed by civil servants owing to their lack of qualification but they have a rich experience of working in the society which should be considered. “I am not talking about political interference here, but political guidance,” said the Union minister while urging the candidates to forge a healthy relationship with the representatives.

“You would have observed that generally when someone comes to politicians they always promise them to get their work done even if that work is not within their area of control. It is not appropriate to say yes to every right or wrong thing too. You have to be cautious of that as well. This is how people are losing faith in politicians. And there is a crisis of credibility emerging in Indian politics. There should be no difference between words and deeds,” Singh said.