Hyderabad: The Telangana BJP on Friday demanded immediate legal action against those allegedly responsible for creating, sharing and amplifying morphed, abusive and derogatory content targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the CJP-led NEET paper leak agitation.

State BJP Chief Spokesperson and Media in-charge N.V. Subhash said the party has formally approached the Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police, seeking action under relevant legal provisions against the perpetrators as well as those who allegedly enabled and monetised such objectionable content on digital platforms. Subhash said the issue raises an important constitutional question on whether repeated and organised public abuse directed at a constitutional office-holder falls within the ambit of free speech or amounts to actionable misconduct. While Article 19(1)(a) guarantees freedom of speech and expression, Article 19(2) permits reasonable restrictions in the interests of sovereignty, public order, decency and morality, he noted.

"The Constitution protects liberty, but it does not legitimise lawlessness. Rights come with responsibilities," he said, adding that the BJP welcomes criticism, political opposition and democratic debate, but "organised and vulgar abuse masquerading as political activism" cannot be justified. "Democracy permits disagreement, not digital lynching," he asserted.

Subhash also said India's youth deserve better than hatred amplified through algorithms and maintained that social media platforms cannot become tools for political radicalisation. Referring to Meta, he said no multinational corporation is above Indian law and digital platforms must be held accountable if they fail to act despite repeated complaints.

Clarifying that the BJP's move is not aimed at suppressing dissent, Subhash said it seeks to draw a constitutional and moral distinction between criticism and calculated abuse. He also criticised what he termed selective invocation of free speech by Opposition leaders, including Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar and Arvind Kejriwal, asserting that no individual, political organisation or digital platform is above the law.