New Delhi, March 20 – The Congress party found itself in a difficult position on Friday, as its national spokesperson, Shama Mohamed, expressed frustration over the poor representation of women among the candidates given tickets for the April 9 Kerala Assembly elections.
Besides a veiled criticism of the party's ticket distribution, Shama also sought the intervention of Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi to ensure that aspiring women ticket seekers in the state received their due.
"Denied but not defeated. I respectfully urge my leader @rahulgandhi ji, whom I adore, respect, and admire, to help the women of the Congress in Kerala. Out of the 92 tickets, only 9 were given to women. In the 16 Lok Sabha seats, only 1 woman was given a ticket. And if the woman is talented, the situation is dire! Very, very sad," Shama wrote on X.
Her remarks, which may cause some unease within the party, came a day after the Congress released the third and final list of candidates, covering 37 constituencies in Kerala. The party will contest 92 of the 140 seats in the Kerala Assembly.
Shama, a practicing dentist, is not new to controversies. Last year, she stirred a controversy by allegedly criticizing the then Indian cricket team captain, Rohit Sharma, for his weight.
In a now-deleted social media post, Shama said that Rohit was "fat for a captain," calling him "unimpressive." She was forced to take down the post after a public outcry and a reprimand from the party.
The BJP had criticized her for targeting Rohit and said that those who lost 90 elections under the captaincy of Rahul Gandhi were calling Rohit's captaincy as unimpressive.
The embarrassed Congress had to distance itself from her remarks on Rohit.
The former TV journalist, who completed her primary education in Kuwait, sparked another controversy when she accused Indian cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir of religious bias following the omission of Mumbai's Sarfaraz Khan from the India 'A' squad for the upcoming series against South Africa 'A'.
In a post on X, Shama wrote, "Is Sarfaraz Khan not selected because of his surname! Just asking. We know where Gautam Gambhir stands on that matter," triggering a fierce political and social media backlash.
The controversy erupted after the BCCI selection committee announced the 15-member India 'A' team for two first-class matches against South Africa 'A'.
Sarfaraz, who had been in impressive domestic form, was not included in the squad, with chief selector Ajit Agarkar clarifying that his absence was due to an injury concern.
Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Nirupam condemned the remarks, calling them "anti-national" and "an attempt to spread communalism".