"Is their esteem so fragile?" the BJP leader and union minister said.
The likes of Sharad Pawar and Arvind Kejriwal have taken it too far, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan today said on recent police action over social media posts. Clarifying that he is not an advocate of derogatory comments and posts promoting hate, he said that such opposition leaders have taken it too far with "slapgates, witch-hunts, arrests and diatribes".
"Is their esteem so fragile? Classic case of what happens when ego spirals out of control," Mr Pradhan, who is the union education and skill development minister, said in a tweet.
His comments come a day after a video showing workers of the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party slapping Maharashtra state BJP spokesperson for posting comments against the party chief went viral. Earlier on Saturday, Marathi actor Ketaki Chitale and a student, Nikhil Bhamre, were arrested for allegedly sharing objectionable posts on Mr Pawar.
The Punjab police had also recently, in a dramatic chase involving three state police forces, tried to arrest BJP Delhi leader Tajinder Pal Bagga for comments against Aam Aadmi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal.
"Champions of free speech today are the real threat to freedom of expression and plurality," Mr Pradhan, whose own party BJP has been often accused of trying to muzzle criticism, said.
Naming the Maha Vikas Aghadi, AAP, and Trinamool Congress, he said political actors from across opposition parties "have gone on an overdrive against criticism and frivolous social media posts".