Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday urged public representatives to refrain from making personal attacks on their political adversaries while expressing his concern over the falling standards in public life.

Unveiling the statue of late Pinnamaneni Koteswara Rao, former Chairman of Krishna district Zilla Parishad in Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh, the vice president stressed on the need to promote value-based and ethical politics to protect and strengthen Indian democracy.

The vice president urged the younger politicians to emulate Koteswara Rao, adding "Koteswara Rao made an everlasting impression on the minds of the people as the Chairman of Zilla Parishad, retaining the position for more than two decades. He proved that decentralised democracy can bring developmental benefits to the people."

Naidu said political parties must make reasonable and practical promises in their election manifestos to retain people’s trust. Otherwise, people will lose their faith in electoral democracy.

"People should not limit their participation to merely voting once every five years, but must also question and demand accountability constantly from the elected representatives and the government," Naidu added.

The vice president also called for a more responsible media that avoids sensationalism and reflects the state of affairs in society in an objective way.