Who is Shama Mohamed? What's the recent controversy around

During the very heated debate over the criticism and fat-shaming of Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma, Congress national spokesperson Shama Mohamed is on the receiving end of widespread backlash for her remarks. Her old tweet criticizing former Indian skipper Virat Kohli has also resurfaced, fuelling the ongoing controversy.

The post refers to Shama’s remarks about Rohit Sharma.

Cricketer Rohit Sharma is slammed for being “too fat for a sportsman” and “needs to lose weight” by Shama Mohamed on the X. Further, he is called “the most boring captain India has ever had.”

Her comments came after Sharma was dismissed for 15 runs off 17 balls during a Champions Trophy match against New Zealand. She also questioned what was “world-class” about Sharma as compared to former Indian cricket greats like Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Kapil Dev, and Ravi Shastri.

The comments have caused outrage, with BJP leaders and cricket fans condemning her for body shaming a national sporting icon. The post was later deleted, but the criticism has gone on.

Congress Disloyal to Mohamed’s Comments

In light of the faction in the party equally being under fire for the comments, the head of the Congress media and publicity department, Pawan Khera, said the comments of Mohamed do not reflect the views of the party, being gently “distanced.”

“Dr. Shama Mohamed, the national spokesperson of the Indian National Congress, had made certain statements on the great cricket legend that do not reflect party views,” Khera said, adding that she had to take down the post and be conscious in the future.

Mohamed Answers Back

Mohamed, in the middle of all this hullaballoo, clarified that her tweet was not aimed at body-shaming Sharma but was rather a statement on a sportsman’s fitness levels in general.

“It was a very generic tweet about fitness. Athletes must be fit. I was merely commenting that Rohit looked like he had gained weight.” I have become the victim of a campaign against me. Now, this is democracy; I have every right to voice and give my opinion,” she narrated to ANI.

Who Is Shama Mohamed?

A brief look at the Congress spokesperson’s background:

Political Career: Mohamed is a national spokesperson for the Congress and media panellist.
Early Life: She was born on May 17, 1973, in Cherukallayi near New Mahe, Kannur, Kerala.
Education: She finished her schooling in Kuwait; after that, she graduated with a Bachelor of Dental Sciences at Yenepoya University, Mangaluru.
Professional Background: Before her jump into politics, she worked as a journalist
Entry into Politics: She became a Congress member in 2015; in the same year, she was appointed as the party’s national spokesperson.
Rise in Congress: Being made a national media panellist in December 2018.
Personal Life: Married, with two children.

Shama Mohamed has had other controversies

While this was not her first controversy, last April, a case was registered against her by Kerala police for her alleged hate speech during an election campaign in Kozhikode’s Lok Sabha constituency.

At the meeting, she allegedly said that if riders were to invade again, the professional activities of the Muslim and Christian minorities would be at risk. In view of that remark, aside from provoking a riot under IPC Section 153, a case has also been registered for an attempt to promote enmity between classes in connection with elections under Section 125 of the Representation of People’s Act.

She defended herself by stating that she did not mean to hurt anyone’s religious sentiments.