01237pab a2200181 454500008004000000100001700040245005700057260000900114300001300123362001100136520072200147650001400869773003400883908000600917909001000923999001700933952010500950180718b2009   xxu||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d  aDlam, Javeed  aCan democratic centralism be conducive to democracy?  c2009  ap.37-42.  a19 Sep  aDemocratic centralism has generally been accepted as the principle for building communist organisations, whereas it was only meant to address the organisational demands of a particular historical context in Tsarist Russia. By institutionalising centralism and leaving democracy underfined, this organisational form has fostered authoritarian tendencies and undermined the growth of new ideas in the working class movement. This is seen in India where the engagement of the communist parties with democracy has remained ad hoc and untheorised. This article argues that democratic centralism has been an obstacle for the communist parties to be able to creatively respond to new situations and conditions. - Reproduced.  aDemocracy  aEconomic and Political Weekly  aN  a83988  c83988d83988  00104070aIIPAbIIPAd2018-07-19hVolume no: 44, Issue no: 38pAR84448r2018-07-19w2018-07-19yAR