Rohit Sharma Row: Embarrassed Congress Orders Leader To Delete Tone-Deaf Post

The Congress has stepped in after its party spokesperson Shama Mohamed's criticism of Team India captain Rohit Sharma's fitness drew a strong backlash and left the party red-faced in the cricket-frenzy nation. To firefight, the party high-command asked her to take down her post that called the skipper a "fat sportsperson" and she quickly followed the orders.

Ms Mohamed's post critical of Mr Sharma dropped in the middle of yesterday's match between India and New Zealand. "Rohit Sharma is fat for a sportsman! Need to lose weight! And of course the most unimpressive Captain India has ever had," it read, sparking a backlash from his fans and the BJP.

Mr Sharma's fans pointed out the stats of the team's performance under his leadership while the BJP said the remarks reflected the Congress' "Emergency mindset".

Next morning, she clarified her remark was "generic" in nature and that she "failed to understand how in a democracy, we don't have the right to speak". This, however, didn't help and left the Congress embarrassed and with a task in hand to set things right.

Following a backlash, the Congress distanced itself from Ms Mohamed's remark and asked her to delete the post. Shortly after, she deleted all her posts, including the one that sparked the controversy as well as those in which she had defended herself.

However, she hasn't apologised yet.

Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera said this morning that Ms Mohamed's remark does not reflect the party's position.

Dr. 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…

— Pawan Khera 🇮🇳 (@Pawankhera) March 3, 2025

"She has been asked to delete the concerned social media posts from X and has been advised to exercise greater caution in the future. The Indian National Congress holds the contributions of sporting icons in the highest regard and does not endorse any statements that undermine their legacy," said Mr Khera.

His response came after the BJP called out the Congress over Ms Mohamed's remarks, which it said was "shameful".

"Do they expect Rahul Gandhi to now play cricket after failing in Indian politics," asked BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari in an online post. He later told NDTV the Congress leader's remark reflects their party's "Emergency mindset" and is an insult to every patriot who supports the Indian cricket team.

Ms Mohamed also countered a Pakistan-based sports journalist who called Mr Sharma "mighty effective and world class performer" while reacting to her post.

"What is so world class about him when compared to his predecessors like Ganguly, Tendulkar, Dravid, Dhoni, Kohli, Kapil Dev, Shastri & the rest! He is a mediocre captain as well as a mediocre player who got lucky to be the Captain of India," she said.