After backlash, Shama reminds Sports Minister of Kangana Ranaut’s abusive post on Rohit Sharma

New Delhi: A day after Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya criticised Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed for her now-deleted post on India cricket captain Rohit Sharma, the latter has hit back by highlighting an old Twitter post from Bharatiya Janata Party MP Kangana Ranaut.

Shama pulled up a past tweet by Kangana in which the Bollywood actor had made derogatory remarks about Rohit during the 2021 farmers’ protests. Questioning the Union Minister’s silence on the matter, the Congress leader took to X and wrote: "What does @mansukhmandviya have to say to @KanganaTeam! #JustAsking."

In 2021, Rohit had tweeted about the unity of India during the peak of the farmers' protests, stressing the importance of farmers and the need to "find a solution." Responding to his post, Kangana had retweeted and used derogatory words against the Indian captain, calling him and other cricketers 'dhobi ka kutta' (a dog neither of the house nor of the ghat).

She further stated, "Why would farmers oppose the districts which have been created for their welfare? All of them are terrorists. Say this because you are so scared."

Shama's remarks on Rohit Sharma’s fitness

The controversy started after Mohamed made remarks about Rohit Sharma’s fitness and performance as a captain. She had posted on X, "Rohit Sharma is fat as a player. He needs to lose weight. Also, he is the most disappointing captain of the Indian team ever." In another post, she questioned Sharma's achievements compared to former Indian cricketing greats, stating, "What is so special about him compared to the former players like Ganguly, Tendulkar, Dravid, Dhoni, Kohli, Kapil Dev, Shastri? He is an average captain as well as an average player who has got the privilege of being the captain of India."

Clarification and Congress party’s response

As the controversy escalated, Shama later clarified that her tweet was a general comment about the fitness of players and not intended as body shaming. She stated, "It was not a matter of body shaming. I felt that he was overweight, that is why I tweeted."

Following the backlash, the Congress party distanced itself from Shama's remarks. Responding to this, she stated, "This is my personal statement and it has nothing to do with the party."

(with agency inputs)