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Paper short abstract:

This study explores how alternative media—Maktoob, National Dastak, Mooknayak, and Khabar Lahariya—challenge authoritarian developmentalism and Hindutva brand ethno-nationalism in India by amplifying grassroots resistance and fostering counter narratives.

Paper long abstract:

India’s authoritarian developmentalism has deepened social polarisation and inequality, particularly when intertwined with the Hindutva brand ethno-nationalism. These forces have marginalised communities across caste, class, gender, and religion, exacerbating social crises. However, grassroots resistance has emerged as a counterforce, with community-based media platforms documenting and amplifying these struggles. This paper examines how alternative media outlets—Maktoob, National Dastak, Mooknayak, and Khabar Lahariya—challenge authoritarian developmentalism and ethno-nationalism through counter-narratives.

Using qualitative content analysis and interviews of journalists of these outlets, the study investigates specific incidents: Maktoob’s coverage of the CAA-NRC protests (2019–2020) and the Jahangirpuri demolitions (2022) in Delhi, highlighting resistance to discriminatory state policies targeting Muslim communities; National Dastak’s reporting on the Bhima Koregaon case (2018) in Maharashtra and manual scavenging deaths (2021) in Delhi, offering insights into caste-based oppression and Dalit activism; Mooknayak’s analysis of the Hathras rape case (2020) and Bhim Army protests in Saharanpur (2017) in UP, showcasing Dalit resistance to caste discrimination and authoritarian state responses; and Khabar Lahariya’s focus on water scarcity, farmer distress , and the Ken-Betwa linking project in Bundelkhand, exposing the socio-environmental impacts of state-led development in rural India.

The study integrates theoretical concepts such as Benedict Anderson and Anthony Smith’s perspectives on nationalism, Nancy Fraser’s notion of counter-publics, and Kimberlé Crenshaw’s intersectionality framework, to explore the intersections of caste, religion, gender, and class in shaping resistance from below. These platforms amplify marginalised voices, document grassroots struggles, and foster collective action, demonstrating transformative potential of alternative media in contesting exclusionary and authoritarian structures.