‘Shameful, outright pathetic’: Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya slams Congress, TMC for fat-shamming Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma Fat Shamed: Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya joined BCCI in backing ‘Hitman’ Rohit Sharma amid fat shaming from Congress and TMC. The BJP leader lashed out at Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed and Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy for questioning Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, and terming the criticism as “deeply shameful” and “outright pathetic.”

Rohit Sharma, 38, was dismissed for 15 runs off 17 balls during India’s Champions Trophy match against New Zealand on Sunday.

Training his gun on the Congress spokesperson, Mandaviya wrote on ‘X’, “Congress and TMC should leave sports persons 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.”

Shama Mohamed Fat Shames Rohit Sharma

In her post on X, Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed said that Rohit Sharma needs to lose weight.

“@ImRo45 is fat for a sportsman! Need to lose weight! And of course the most unimpressive Captain India has ever had!” she said.

However, after the backlash, the Congress leader deleted the post from her X account.

“This is my personal remark, don’t bring my party into this. We can speak about someone’s fitness, what’s the issue in that? Since I am fit, I was only talking about his fitness… why are you making such a big issue out of it?” she told reporters later.

Congress Reprimands Shama Mohamed

Congress reprimanded Shama Mohamed after the row over her social media posts calling Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma “fat”, and asked her to delete the posts and exercise greater caution in future.

The Congress asserted that Shama Mohamed’s remarks about the cricketing legend do not reflect the party’s position.

TMC MP Saugata Roy Backs Shama Mohamed Fat Shaming Rohit Sharma

Congress leader Shama Mohamed received support from an unlikely quarter over her controversial remarks on Rohit Sharma, with Trinamool MP Saugata Roy asserting that the Indian skipper “shouldn’t even be in the team”.

“This is not about politics, this is about cricket. Scoring a century once in two years and getting out quickly in other matches don’t justify his place in the team. He should not remain an authority in the team. The Congress leader is correct in saying this. Yes, he is overweight, but people don’t seem to care,” Roy said.

The Trinamool MP went on to further assert that players like Jasprit Bumrah and Shreyas Iyer could be potential captains.

“If we talk about a fit and capable captain, there are many new players performing well. If fitness is the issue, someone like Bumrah, if he were fit, could be a great captain. Even Shreyas Iyer could be a potential captain. But Rohit Sharma should not have a place in the team,” Roy said.

BCCI Backs Rohit Sharma

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) slammed Shama Mohamed’s remarks after she fat-shamed Indian captain Rohit Sharma. The cricketing body criticised the comments, calling them demoralising, and urged individuals to avoid such statements. The controversy comes amid India’s campaign in the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy.

NDTV quoted BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia as saying in a statement, “It is very unfortunate for a responsible person to pass such a trivial comment when the team is in the middle of such a crucial ICC tournament”.

While Rohit’s batting might have been patchy in the ongoing Champions Trophy, where he has managed scores of 41 (Bangladesh), 20 (Pakistan) and 15 (New Zealand), his captaincy has been spot on. India have already qualified for the semi-finals after thumping wins in the group stage of the multi-nation league.