The Sports Minister’s stern rebuke followed hours after Mohamed had described Rohit Sharma as “fat for a sportsperson” and the “most unimpressive” India captain ever. Saugata Roy had also expressed his total agreement with her.
Union Sports Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday criticized the Congress and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) after two of their leaders had fat-shamed India cricket captain Rohit Sharma, urging them to leave sportspersons alone.
The Sports Minister’s stinging rebuke came hours after Congress National Spokesperson Shama Mohamed labelled Rohit Sharma “fat for a sportsperson” and the “most unimpressive” captain India has ever had. TMC’s Saugata Roy joined in and echoed Mohamed, stating Rohit Sharma should not be the captain, and he does not deserve to be on the side.
Congress and TMC must not interfere with sportspersons as they are perfectly capable of managing their professional lives,” Mandaviya tweeted, further stating, “Comments by leaders of these parties, body-shaming and questioning the place of an athlete in the team, are not only shameful but also plain pathetic.”.
The Union minister also highlighted that such remarks disempower the efforts and sacrifices of sportspersons in representing the nation at the international level.
When Mohamed’s post went viral, the BJP was quick to denounce her statement, holding Congress responsible for “body-shaming” a World Cup victor. BJP leader Radhika Khera, who had quit Congress and joined BJP recently, criticized her erstwhile party for “humiliating athletes for decades.”.
Though the Congress party dissociated itself from Shama Mohamed’s comment, describing it as her personal opinion, the TMC has not yet responded to party MP Saugata Roy’s comment.
