Showman NT Rama Rao’s political roots when son-in-law Chandrababu Naidu cleanly cut

His son Balakrishna once said, “Once when I went to meet my father on a film set, I took my friends along with me. There my father introduced me to the people on the set as his most He got done as a younger son and said that I was studying in intermediate. While this was not correct. Firstly, I was not his youngest son and secondly, I was still studying in school and not in intermediate.

From this it can be guessed that among his eleven children, who was elder and who was younger or in which class, NTR did not know properly, he used to be lost in his own world.

Rajendra Prasad, correspondent of ‘The Hindu’ newspaper, wrote, “Once NTR came to Secunderabad to attend his granddaughter’s wedding. He sat alone in the hall talking to the press. His family members looked at him He left without saying a word.”

In such an empty life entered a woman half her age. First as an admirer and later as a biographer who became first his lover, then his wife. Her name is Lakshmi Parvati.

She shows her devotion by touching his feet and addresses him as ‘Swami’. NTR confesses to her that he misses a companion in the last phase of his life.

Writing NTR’s biography becomes an excuse, then both of them keep coming closer.

K Chandrahas and K Lakshminarayana write in their book ‘NTR A Biography’, “Lakshmi Parvati used to stay with NTR on Saturdays and Sundays and return to her home on Mondays. NTR installed a telephone at Lakshmi Parvati’s house so that He could talk to her on the phone. Years later, he showed Lakshmi the old telephone bill which was two lakh rupees. Lakshmi Parvati used to spend whole two months with NTR during summer vacations.”

When this love affair was discussed for the first time, NTR did not deny it. Lakshmi Parvati also accepted that it solved her problem but NTR’s family members were not happy with it.

He accused Lakshmi Parvati of taking advantage of NTR. NTR clarified saying, “Sexual relations are not that important to me at this age. I need affection and companionship at this time. Lakshmi is just like a companion for me.”

At that time Lakshmi Parvati was married and her husband Subba Rao had a complaint that his wife was living with another man. Both filed for divorce. NTR was paralyzed the day the court passed the divorce order.

K Chandrahas and K Lakshminarayana write, “NTR had a heart condition, even then he used to eat very heavy food in large quantities. He did not stop eating sweets even after suffering from diabetes. He also did not take his medicines regularly. But despite this, even at the age of 70, there were no wrinkles on his face and he used to glow. It was Lakshmi Parvati who took care of NTR during this illness.”

After returning from America after getting treatment, NTR announced his marriage with Lakshmi Parvati in Tirupati.

Speaking from the stage, he told how a woman saved him from death. If that woman agrees then I am ready to marry her. Then he shouted and called Lakshmi on the stage. He was ready to tie the sacred thread around Lakshmi’s neck in front of millions of his fans.

NTR’s son-in-law Chandrababu Naidu, sitting on the front seat, wondered what was about to happen. He immediately cut off the electricity. There was darkness everywhere. NTR’s speech got over and people could not know whether NTR tied that sacred thread to Lakshmi or not. NTR was very angry with this episode and all efforts to pacify him failed.

NTR was at the pinnacle of power on August 23, 1995, but within eight days the power was snatched from his hands and he became the former chief minister. It is said that even if Lakshmi Parvati had not come in NTR’s life, Chandrababu Naidu would not have stopped his efforts to remove him from power.

Ramchandra Murthy Kondubhatla, author of the recently published book ‘NTR A Political Biography’, writes, “In fact, NTR was not ready to accept any advice. He was arbitrary and autocratic. Often he became emotional and everything Lakshmi Parvati had a kind of obsession with him. The way Naidu created an atmosphere against NTR was a sample of his strategic shrewdness. Naidu knew very well whom, against whom and when to use To do.”

Chandrababu Naidu lured his brother-in-law Dr. Daggubati Venkateswara Rao to his side by luring him with the post of Deputy Chief Minister, knowing that he would not be able to fulfill this promise.

In this way both Harikrishna and Daggubati joined him in this campaign and started opposing NTR.

NTR did not take this rebellion seriously until his target was Lakshmi Parvati. By the time he realized that he was the real target, it was too late.

Kondubhatla writes, “Indeed, NTR was a showman. He had the charisma to charm people. But he didn’t even know the names of most of his MLAs. He didn’t even like talking to ordinary politicians, solving their problems. That would have been a big deal. On the other hand, behind NTR’s back, Chandrababu was trying his best to win over MLAs to his side. NTR completely failed to read Naidu’s ambition.”

Lakshmi Parvati may seem simple and selfish to others but she was special for NTR. More than his wife, she was his valuable companion.

Chandrababu Naidu sent a three-member delegation, including two ministers Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Devender Goud, to persuade NTR. They brought four demands before them, which included withdrawal of suspension of eight MLAs, dismissal of eight ministers loyal to Lakshmi Parvathi, keeping Parvathi away from government and party affairs and reconstitution of Telugu Desam Party’s executive.

NTR refused to accept all the four demands.

On the contrary, NTR told him, “You tell me the problems you had to face because of Parvati? How can I tolerate that my own wife is being insulted like this? What about you?” You have the right to ask me to control my wife? You all can’t harm me even together. And if necessary, I will not hesitate to dissolve the party.”

These three leaders remained calm and left from there without saying anything. Naidu had 171 MLAs in his favor who stayed with him at the Viceroy Hotel. From there he sent a fax to the governor that NTR has lost his majority in the assembly. When NTR came to know about this, he lifted the sky over his head.

He tried his best to dissolve the assembly but he did not succeed. The governor gave him time till August 30 to prove his majority. Citing the example of former Governor Ramlal, NTR sought time till September 15. Rejecting this request, Governor Krishna Kant extended the time to prove majority by one day to 31 August.

Meanwhile, NTR fell ill and had to be hospitalised. When the governor went there to see him, he submitted his resignation. Chandrababu Naidu was elected the leader of the Telugu Desam Legislature Party on the same day. The next day he took oath as the chief minister.

Soon after taking the oath, Chandrababu Naidu went to NTR’s residence along with his wife Bhuvaneshwari and son Lokesh. The three visitors sat in the hall for about an hour. NTR neither asked her to come upstairs to his room nor did he come downstairs to meet her. NTR’s secretary Bhujang Rao finally had to tell him that NTR was unwell and was not in a position to meet him.

Chandrababu Naidu handed over the bouquet of flowers to Bhujang and went back from there. It was clear that the relationship between the two of them had deteriorated forever.

Chandrahas and K Lakshminarayana write, “NTR lacked political advisors who could guide him on how to keep the MLAs together. In this area Lakshmi Parvati proved to be nineteen to Chandrababu Naidu. Mekyavali had said that people generally weathered the storm.” Don’t imagine when the sea is calm. NTR made a mistake here. He remained indifferent for a long time and by the time he realized his mistake it was too late.”

The Hindu newspaper’s correspondent Rajendra Prasad wrote, “It is open to speculation that if Lakshmi Parvati had been content to be a homemaker and had no political ambitions, would NTR have remained the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh till his death and Chandrababu Naidu would have played an important role in his government?”

NTR left everything for his wife. He even left his sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters. In the end even the power went out of his hands. His own son-in-law separated him from power with the help of family members.

NTR never forgave him. When the meeting of the assembly started on September 7, NTR was not allowed to read his statement.

The Speaker of the Assembly said that he would allow NTR to speak only after the trust vote.

Chandrababu Naidu was supported by 183 Telugu Desam MLAs. A day after NTR’s resignation, Jayaprakash Narayan, CS Rao and some people working with him came to meet him early in the morning.

NTR woke up well before his scheduled time to get up. He received them in his study. He talked to them as if nothing had happened. NTR’s last words to him were, “I was not born as a chief minister. Now what difference does it make whether I remain chief minister or not.”

NT Rama Rao died of a heart attack on January 17, 1996, four and a half months after stepping down from power. His body was kept at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium for the last darshan.

Lakshmi Parvati was crying while touching his face sitting on a chair at the head of his dead body. The MLAs supporting Lakshmi Parvati were present on the stage. When NTR’s son Harikrishna reached there, he shouted to the supporters of Lakshmi Parvati to make way for the family members.

Only Lakshmi Parvati was allowed to sit there alone. Someone brought the picture of NTR’s first wife which was placed next to NTR’s body. When Parvati went to the toilet for some time, her chair was removed from there. At last the police intervened and had to put his chair there again and another chair was called for Harikrishna.

Lakhs of people participated in NTR’s funeral. It is said that after Mahatma Gandhi perhaps so many people had not attended the funeral of a person who was not in power at that time.

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