Despite deterioration in the country's political climate it was possible for civil servants to survive without sacrificing their principles, former Union coal secretary P C Parakh today said.
He also expressed hope that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would restore the value of civil services and revive confidence among senior officers.
"I hope that Narendra Modi turn out to be another Sardar Patel and bring back the values and confidence of civil services so that good governance can be provided in this country," Parakh said, speaking on the topic of leadership at a function here.
Parakh, who wrote the book 'Crusader or Conspirator? Coalgate and Other Truths', spoke about how the government functions, relationship between elected representatives and civil servants and how various decisions are influenced.
He said the relations between civil servants and elected public representatives evolved from trust to mistrust over the years, and added that the tenure of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was bad for the service.
Parakh, citing some examples, highlighted how civil servants are sometime misused by political leaders for their political and personal gains.
He said the state of indecision by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on several important issues has cost the country a great deal and seriously dented his image. He said the coal scam also dented the image of Singh.
He was speaking at the inauguration of a public policy centre of an NGO, Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS).
Speaking at the programme, Singh's former media advisor Sanjaya Baru said the former Prime Minister became an object of ridicule which disturbed and prompted him to write the book, 'The Accidental Prime minister: The Making and Unmaking of Manmohan Singh'.
Baru said Singh's image was affected most during the UPA-II regime as he was not able to take decisions.
