Congress National Spokesperson Shama Mohamed had called India captain Rohit Sharma ‘fat’ and ‘the most unimpressive captain India has ever had’. Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya reacted to Mohamed’s comments, stating that the comments are ‘not only deeply shameful but also outright pathetic.’
Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya has reacted to Congress National Spokesperson Dr Shama Mohamed’s comments on Rohit Sharma. Mohamed criticised Indian skipper Rohit’s fitness, calling him as ‘fat’ for a sportsman and suggesting he should drop weight.
Mandaviya reacted to the statement. “Congress and TMC should leave sportspersons alone as they are fully capable of handling their professional lives,” Mandaviya wrote on his social media handle on X.
“Remarks made by leaders from these parties, indulging in body shaming and questioning an athlete’s place in the team, are not only deeply shameful but also outright pathetic. Such comments undermine the hard work and sacrifices that our sportspersons make to represent the country on the global stage,” he further wrote in his post.
Notably, Mohamed has been in the firing line after making comments about Rohit. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saika also reacted to the Congress spokesperson’s comments.
“It’s very unfortunate that this kind of remark for our captain (Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma) has come from a person who is on a responsible post, especially at a time when Team India is playing an ICC tournament and the team is all set to play the semi-final match,” Saikia said.
Former Indian cricketer Atul Wassan also reacted to Mohamed’s comments. “He is a World Cup-winning captain, and currently the team is playing the ICC Champions Trophy…Her statement should not be taken seriously as she doesn’t understand match fitness and what kind of captain he is,” he said.
Mohamed had called Rohit ‘fat’ and ‘the most unimpressive captain India has ever had’. In a now deleted post, she wrote, “Rohit Sharma is fat for a sportsman! Need to lose weight! And of course the most unimpressive Captain India has ever had!”
She later defended her comments. “It was a generic tweet about the fitness of a sportsperson. It was not body-shaming. I always believed a sportsperson should be fit, and I felt he was a bit overweight, so I just tweeted about that. I have been attacked for no reason. When I compared him with previous captains, I put in a statement. I have the right. What is wrong in saying that? It is a democracy,” she said.
