AHMEDABAD: A political storm has erupted in Gujarat’s Rajkot after a play titled I Am Nathuram Godse was scheduled at Hemu Gadhvi Hall late Saturday evening, with the Congress accusing the organisers of trying to glorify Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin. The party questioned how official permission was granted, especially when the same play has been planned in other cities as well.
Congress spokesperson Parthivrajsinh Kathwadia said that the party would strongly resist what it calls a deliberate attempt to distort historical narratives. “We will not allow Nathuram Godse to be turned into a hero in Gandhi’s Gujarat. The hero of this country is Mahatma Gandhi, not his killer,” Kathwadia said.
Kathwadia further challenged the rationale behind allowing the play in a state that prides itself as Gandhi’s birthplace and ideological home. “How can a play titled I Am Nathuram Godse be permitted in Gujarat itself? Why was permission granted to glorify the murderer of Mahatma Gandhi?” he asked.
He added, “When Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosts global leaders, he takes them to Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial as a symbol of peace. Then how can attempts be made simultaneously to glorify the very man who assassinated him?”
Kathwadia labelled Godse as “independent India’s first terrorist,” alleging that such theatrical portrayals were part of a broader effort to reshape public memory and dilute Gandhi’s ideological influence.
He also warned that the Congress would formally oppose the staging of the play and mobilise resistance against any such cultural platforms. The controversy gathered further momentum as it surfaced that the same play had reportedly been staged earlier in cities such as Surat, Vadodara and Bhavnagar.
The incident has also revived memories of an earlier controversy in the state. In July 2022, a 24-hour continuous poetry conference organised at Saurashtra University under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav banner sparked outrage after a poem by Madhya Pradesh poet Devkrishna Vyas allegedly criticised Mahatma Gandhi’s role in India’s freedom movement.
