Remember..NTR and Lakshmi Parvathy

When Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao was promoting his film in the early 80's, he was apparently asked by a fan Ayya, memu mimmalni devudu laga adarinchamu, kani meeru maku emi chesaru? meaning Sir, we have treated you like a God but what have you done for us? Moved NTR decided that the best thing he could do for his fans was to join politics. NTR founded the Telegu Desam party. The TDP had only one recognizable leader, an unknown ideology and ran a campaign only on Telugu atmagauravam (Telugu self respect).




Within nine months they had wiped out the Congress Party in Andhra Pradesh which had been ruling since 1947. They also withstood the sympathy wave in favour of the Congress after Indira Gandhi's assassination and emerged as the largest opposition party in parliament. NTR dominated Andhra politics till 1995, dressing up like Swami Vivekananda, helped form the VP Singh government, imposed prohibition and sold rice at Rs 2 a kilo.

But in 1995 he fell in love. Lakshmi Parvathy, a young woman who was engaged to write his biography and who had nursed him after his stroke became his confidante and helpmate. NTR married Lakshmi Parvathy despite the protests of his twelve adult children. Lakshmi began to exercise great power from behind the throne. NTR faced a revolt from his party members led by his son-in-law Chandrababu Naidu. Naidu ousted an ailing NTR and became CM. NTR died soon after and despite her floating her own political party, allying with the BJP and winning some 10% of the popular vote, Lakshmi Parvathy was reduced to a peripheral figure in Andra Politics.

NTR died in 1996 and it was only in 2004, after the Naidu led TDP had been wiped out in the elections did Lakshmi Parvathy immerse his ashes in the Ganga.