Ahmedabad, Feb 9 (NationPress) The anticipated performance of the play 'I Am Nathuram Godse' has been called off in Ahmedabad due to protests led by the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and the Youth Congress, further extending a controversy that has previously resulted in cancellations in Rajkot and Jamnagar.

The play was set to take place on Monday at the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Auditorium in the Bodakdev area.

Organizers opted to cancel the performance after protests intensified across various locations in the city, citing worries about maintaining law and order.

Sources indicate that approximately 75 percent of the tickets had already been purchased online, with ticket prices set at Rs 275.

Gujarat Congress spokesperson Parthivraj Kathwadia stated that the play was intolerable in a state linked to Mahatma Gandhi.

“How can a play centered around Godse, the assassin of the Father of the Nation and independent India’s first terrorist, be accepted in Gandhi’s birthplace and workplace?” he questioned.

He further expressed, “Gujaratis, Gandhians, and patriotic citizens will never tolerate the disrespect towards Mahatma Gandhi. The people of Gujarat have consistently rejected Godse’s ideology, which is why the shows in Rajkot and Jamnagar were halted, and now the Ahmedabad performance has also been canceled.”

Kathwadia added that the Congress party would persist in opposing any efforts to endorse Godse’s views. “For Gujarat and for India, Godse will always remain a villain, while Mahatma Gandhi is, was, and will always remain the hero for the country and the world,” he asserted.

On Sunday, NSUI and Youth Congress activists staged demonstrations in areas including Bodakdev and along Sindhu Bhavan Road.

Protesters shouted slogans against Nathuram Godse and inscribed messages on public walls indicating that a play revolving around Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin would not be tolerated in Gujarat.

As part of the protest, activists also engaged in symbolic acts such as defacing images of Godse with black ink.

Congress leaders warned that the performance would be obstructed if attempted in the city.

The controversy initially emerged last week in Rajkot, where the play was canceled after Congress activists entered the venue prior to the show and damaged stage equipment.

Protesters contended that the play aimed to glorify Godse and constituted an insult to Mahatma Gandhi.

Police detained around 40 Congress members following the incident. The organizers later announced the cancellation, offering refunds to ticket buyers and apologizing to attendees who had come to see the performance.

With the Ahmedabad show now cancelled, the play has been withdrawn from all three cities amidst ongoing opposition throughout Gujarat.