Facebook is in the eye of a political storm in India after claims it failed to take action against hate speech posts by a Hindu nationalist lawmaker out of fear for its business interests.

India is US-based Facebook and its messaging service WhatsApp's biggest market in terms of users, and the firm is under pressure worldwide about how to police hate speech.

But a huge row has now erupted in India after the Wall Street Journal reported that Facebook stopped short of banning a ruling party MP even after he posted comments and made speeches saying Rohingya Muslim immigrants should be shot, Muslims were traitors, and threatened to raze mosques.

The lawmaker in question, T. Raja Singh, on Monday claimed his account had been hacked, the New Indian Express reported.

AFP