Democracy must go beyond elections: Kapil Sibal

MUMBAI: Stating that the people have not really understood the true meaning of democracy, Union Law Minister Kapil Sibal has said democracy needs to go beyond the electoral process.

"We need to understand the true meanings of democracy. Democracy is far more than the electoral process," Sibal said at a function here last night.

He said considering democracy as a mere electoral process is a "jaundiced view."

Leaders in the media and entertainment industry and various other platforms must work to protect "the diversity of the nation that is at the heart of the idea of India", he said.

Emphasising the role of media in protecting the cultural and linguistic diversity of the country, Sibal said, "you (the media) can do an extremely constructive job by informing the nation, but you can also destroy the nation by misinformation.

"What we are witnessing is that middle ground in any discourse is being completely lost. It's either you're for me or against," he said.

Later, Sibal presented the 2013 Impact Person of the Year award to Times Group's managing director Vineet Jain. Impact is an advertising and marketing weekly published from here.