Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Daggubati Venkateswara Rao reunited after three decades of conflict during the launch of Rao’s book ‘Prapancha Charitra’ in Visakhapatnam. Venkateswara Rao urged Naidu to let go of past grievances, leading to a heartfelt embrace amidst applause. Their rivalry began in the 1990s when Naidu revolted against NTR, Rao’s father-in-law, to become chief minister. Over the years, their political allegiances shifted, with Rao briefly joining various parties, including Congress and YSR Congress. Despite their differences, family ties endured between the two, exemplified by their wives, who remain close.
Visakhapatnam:
After three decades, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and his co-brother Daggubati Venkateswara Rao shared the stage on Thursday, choosing to reconcile.
The sons-in-law of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) founder and former chief minister N. T. Rama Rao (NTR) embraced each other after Venkateswara Rao encouraged Chandrababu Naidu to put the past behind them and to let go of any grudges.
The occasion marked the launch of Venkateswara Rao’s book ‘Prapancha Charitra’ (world history), attended by former Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and Venkateswara Rao’s wife and BJP state president Daggubati Purandeswari.
“You are all aware. That’s history, and it’s in the past. I commend him for all of his endeavors and wish him the very best for the future,” the former MP said while addressing Chandrababu Naidu.
As Venkateswara Rao returned to his seat following his speech, Chandrababu Naidu rose to embrace him, drawing enthusiastic applause from the audience.
In his remarks, Chandrababu Naidu lauded Venkateswara Rao for penning the book and expressed surprise at the depth of his insights.
The rift between the two co-brothers originated in the 1990s when Chandrababu Naidu instigated a rebellion against NTR to ascend to the role of chief minister of the then united Andhra Pradesh.
Venkateswara Rao, who initially supported Chandrababu Naidu, eventually realigned himself with NTR.
Following NTR’s passing, just months after the revolt, he remained loyal to NTR’s TDP (LP), which was led by NTR’s second wife, Lakshmi Parvathi. In 1999, he joined the Anna TDP established by NTR’s son Harikrishna. After experiencing a disheartening defeat with that party, he took a hiatus from politics for several years. In 2004, he and his wife joined the Congress party at the invitation of Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy.
Although Purandeswari, who was elected to the Lok Sabha twice on a Congress ticket and served as a minister in the UPA government, switched her loyalty to the BJP in 2014 following the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, Venkateswara Rao affiliated himself with the YSR Congress Party.
A former Rajya Sabha member, Venkateswara Rao was elected to the Andhra Pradesh Assembly on a Congress ticket from Parchur in both 2004 and 2009. He had refrained from active politics after his defeat in 2019 from the same constituency as the YSR Congress candidate.
Despite the long-standing differences and their absence from each other’s company for three decades, Purandeswari and her sister Bhuvaneswari (Naidu’s wife) sustained family connections.
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