The Deccan Powerplay: Reddy, Naidu and the Realpolitik of Andhra Pradesh by Amar Devulapalli

Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, N. Chandrababu Naidu and Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy illustrate three different narratives. This is the history of their passions, politics and practices.

This book is a critical appraisal of the events and personalities that shaped the past 40 years in the history of Andhra Pradesh, starting with the advent of Indira Gandhi’s Congress (I) government to the division of the state in 2014. In these years, the Telugu people have seen 13 chief ministers beginning with Marri Chenna Reddy in 1978 down to the present custodians of Andhra and Telangana, Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and K. Chandrasekhar Rao, respectively. Along the way, we encounter some formidable personalities: N.T. Rama Rao, N. Chandrababu Naidu, the magnetic Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, the modern trail blazer of a long-drawn movement K. Chandrasekhar Rao and dynamic and self-reliant Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. The heart-stopping centerpiece is the ‘Viceroy Coup’, the ultimate betrayal by Chandrababu Naidu that toppled the iconic NTR, leaving everyone stunned.

The Deccan Powerplay is an enthralling tale of power, passion and treachery, mirroring the intensity of Telugu cinema on the political stage.