New Delhi, March 3 : The political and sports worlds collided as BJP and NCP-SP leaders fiercely condemned Congress National Spokesperson Shama Mohamed's body shaming of Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma, calling it 'shameless.'

Talking to IANS, Delhi Forest and Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa expressed outrage and said, "It is quite shameless. Shama Mohamed's remark about Rohit Sharma is disrespectful to one of the world's best cricketers and a respected figure in Indian sports. This reflects the mindset of the Congress party, which seems fixated on Rahul Gandhi. They want him to be everything, even the Prime Minister and the captain."

NCP-SP leader Jitendra Awhad also weighed in, stating, "It's wrong to criticise a player like Rohit Sharma. He is a natural talent, not someone who needs to focus on physique like some others."

The controversy began when Mohamed took to social media during India's match against New Zealand, calling Sharma "fat for a sportsman" and questioning his ability as captain, calling him "the most unimpressive Captain India has ever had."

The post sparked an immediate backlash, with fans of Sharma defending his leadership credentials with impressive statistics.

In response to mounting criticism, the Congress high command swiftly intervened, instructing Mohamed to delete the post and issue a clarification.

Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera commented, "Dr Shama Mohamed's remarks do not reflect the party's position. She has been asked to delete the posts and exercise more caution in the future."

The controversy escalated as Mohamed attempted to justify her words, claiming they were "generic" and questioning the intolerance of criticism in a democracy. However, her defence only fueled the outrage, and the Congress was left scrambling to manage the fallout.

Despite complying with the party's orders to delete the post, Mohamed has yet to offer a public apology, leaving her and the party in continued damage-control mode.

/IANS