New Delhi: After facing flak for her body shaming post on Team India captain Rohit Sharma, Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed remained defiant. Mohamed dug out an old tweet of actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranuat, now the Bharatihya Janata Party (BJP) MP from the Mandi seat, on Indian cricketers, including Sharma. In that post in 2021 at the height of the farmers' protest, Ranaut had used derogatory language against Indian cricketers.

Responding to Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya for his 'X' post for criticising her remarks on Sharma, Mohamed said, "What does @mansukhmandviya have to say to @KanganaTeam ! #JustAsking."

Shama Mohamed's Reply To Mansukh Mandaviya:

Notably, in her 2021 X post, Ranaut had said, "Why all these cricketers sounding like dhobi ka kutta na ghar ka na ghat ka, why would farmers be against laws which are revolutionary for their well being. These are terrorists creating ruckus... say that na itna darr lagta hai?". However, later she deleted the tweet.

Meanwhile, Mandaviya slammed Mohamed and Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saugata Roy for raising questions about the Team India captain's fitness. "Congress and TMC should leave sportspersons alone as they are fully capable of handling their professional lives. 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," tweeted the Union Sports Minister.

Mansukh Mandaviya's Tweet:

What Shama Mohamed Had Said About Rohit Sharma's Fitness?

Mohamed is facing flak for criticising and body-shaming Sharma. She called Team India "overweight" and "the most unimpressive captain India has ever had." After the criticism, she later deleted her posts. Besides calling Rohit Sharma fat, Mohamed also raised questions on captaincy, calling it ‘unimpressive’.

After facing flak, Mohamed deleted her tweets. 

However, despite criticism, the Congress spokesperson remained defiant. Defending her comments, Mohammed denied body-shaming Rohit Sharma and said that she felt he was a bit overweight. Speaking to ANI she said, "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? It is a democracy..."
Notably, Roy had backed Mohamed's remarks. "I heard that Rohit Sharma's performance has been quite poor. He scored one century, but other than that, he gets out after scoring 2, 3, 4, or 5 runs. He shouldn’t be in the team. India wins because the other players play well, but the captain doesn’t contribute much," Roy told IANS.

What Congress Said?

The Congress distanced itself from Mohamed's remarks on Sharma and even asked her to delete the posts.  Congress leader Pawan Khera, in his X post, said that the views of Mohamed do not reflect the party's position. The Congress also asked Mohamed to delete her controversial posts.

"Shama Mohammed, National Spokesperson of the Indian National Congress, made certain remarks about a cricketing legend that do not reflect the party's position. She has been asked to delete the concerned social media posts from X and has been advised to exercise greater caution in the future," Khera said.

"The Indian National Congress holds the contributions of sporting icons in the highest regard and does not endorse any statements that undermine their legacy," he added.

India is all set to play Australia in the semi-final of the Champions Trophy in Dubai.