Congress Under Fire After Spokesperson Calls Rohit Sharma ‘Overweight’ and ‘Unimpressive’ Captain

Congress National Spokesperson Dr. Shama Mohamed sparked a political storm with her controversial comments about Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma. Her posts on social media attracted strong criticism, especially from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Shama called Rohit “overweight” and labeled him “the most unimpressive captain India has ever had.”

Following the uproar, Congress asked Shama Mohamed to remove the posts. Party leader Pawan Khera confirmed that the party had instructed Shama to delete the controversial content and advised her to "exercise greater caution" in the future. He further emphasised that her comments did not reflect the party’s official stance, clarifying that Congress deeply respects the contributions of athletes and does not endorse statements that undermine their legacy.

Dr. Shama Mohamed defended her posts, stating that her comments were intended to address fitness, not to body-shame Rohit Sharma. She clarified, “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.” She further stated, “I have the right to express my opinion. What is wrong in saying? It is a democracy.”

The controversy stemmed from Shama’s remarks following an India-New Zealand match in the ICC Champions Trophy, where India emerged victorious by 44 runs. Rohit Sharma was dismissed for 15 runs off 17 balls, which prompted Shama to make the weight-related comments. 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!”

Additionally, Shama compared Rohit to previous Indian cricket captains, stating, “What is so world-class about him when compared to his predecessors? He is a mediocre captain as well as a mediocre player who got lucky to be the captain of India.”

The BJP seized the opportunity to criticise Shama’s remarks. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla sharply responded, “Those who have lost 90 elections under the captaincy of Rahul Gandhi are calling the captaincy of Rohit Sharma unimpressive!” He further pointed out, “I guess 6 ducks in Delhi and 90 election losses are impressive, but winning a T20 World Cup isn’t! Rohit has a brilliant track record as captain by the way!”

In a similar vein, BJP leader Radhika Khera condemned the Congress party, accusing it of hypocrisy. “The sheer audacity! This is the same Congress that humiliated athletes for decades, denied them recognition, and now dares to mock a cricketing legend?” she remarked. She continued, “The party that thrives on nepotism is lecturing a self-made champion?” She also took a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, saying, “Rohit Sharma is a World Cup-winning captain. Your leader, @RahulGandhi can’t even captain his own party without crashing it into the ground!”​