Telugu Historyతెలుగు చరిత్ర

Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy

Yeduguri Sandinti Rajasekhara Reddy, from Pulivendla in Kadapa district, was a Congress leader who served as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh from 2004 until his death. He was a minister in 1982 and led the dissidents in the Congress in the early 1990s. He led the Congress to victory in the elections of 2004 and 2009. He died when his helicopter crashed on 2 September 2009, and Kadapa district was renamed YSR District after him.

Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy was a Congress leader from Kadapa district who was Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh from 2004 until his death in 2009.12 He led his party to victory in two elections, in 2004 and 2009.3 After his death the state government renamed Kadapa district “YSR District” after him.4

His full name was Yeduguri Sandinti Rajasekhara Reddy, and he came from Pulivendla mandal in Kadapa district.4 Most of this page follows G. Venkataramarao’s Telugu history Telangana Charitra (2014).1

Minister and dissident, 1982–1994

In September 1982 Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy became Chief Minister, and Rajasekhara Reddy was one of his ministers.5 The Congress lost the election of January 1983, and the government ended after three months and nineteen days.5 The story of the next years is on N. T. Rama Rao and Marri Chenna Reddy.56

When the Congress returned to power in 1989, Venkataramarao writes, Rajasekhara Reddy led the dissidents from outside the ministry.6 He describes his fight as a “street fight” without rest.6 Rajasekhara Reddy used to say openly that he only fought face to face and never ran away or stabbed anyone in the back.6

In 1991, Venkataramarao writes, Rajasekhara Reddy made a plan to unseat Chief Minister N. Janardhana Reddy.7 His idea was to enter the Assembly from Pulivendla and have the new Prime Minister, P. V. Narasimha Rao, stand from Kadapa.7 The plan failed, because Narasimha Rao stood from Nandyal instead and won by a huge margin.7

P. Raghunadha Rao writes that Rajasekhara Reddy raised a revolt against Janardhana Reddy and made him resign in 1992.8 Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy then became Chief Minister.8 Venkataramarao writes that Rajasekhara Reddy’s followers kept up their dissent against the new Chief Minister as well.9

Chief Minister, 2004–2009

In 2003 Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu dissolved the Assembly a year early and called an election.1 In the election of 2004 the Congress won 183 seats and the Telugu Desam 48.1 The Telangana Rashtra Samithi, which had joined hands with the Congress, won 26 seats and joined Rajasekhara Reddy’s government.10

Venkataramarao writes that the post of Chief Minister was not simply a gift of the party leaders in Delhi.1 In his view, wide public support also put Rajasekhara Reddy in that post, perhaps alone among Andhra Pradesh’s Chief Ministers.1 He adds that the government’s work came to be seen as YSR’s work rather than the Congress’s.1

In the election of 2009 the Congress came back to power, and Rajasekhara Reddy became Chief Minister again.2 But he did not stay long in office.2 On 2 September 2009 the helicopter in which he was travelling crashed, and he died.2

After his death

K. Rosaiah became Chief Minister after him.2 Soon the demand for a Telangana state rose again, and some people said that the problem would not have arisen had Rajasekhara Reddy been alive.11 The census handbook of the district says the government renamed Kadapa district “YSR District” to honour his services to the state.4 The story of those years is on Andhra State & Andhra Pradesh.11

Footnotes

  1. Venkataramarao, Telangana Charitra (2014), p. 367 (in Telugu) (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  2. Venkataramarao, Telangana Charitra (2014), p. 368 (in Telugu) (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  3. Venkataramarao, Telangana Charitra (2014), p. 371 (in Telugu) (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩

  4. Directorate of Census Operations, Andhra Pradesh, Census of India 2011, Andhra Pradesh (Series 29): District Census Handbook, Y.S.R. (Cuddapah) District, Part XII-A (Village and Town Directory) (2014), p. 8 (PDF p. 26) (censusindia.gov.in (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  5. G. Venkataramarao, Telangana Charitra (2014), p. 341 (in Telugu) (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  6. Venkataramarao, Telangana Charitra (2014), p. 348 (in Telugu) (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  7. Venkataramarao, Telangana Charitra (2014), p. 352 (in Telugu) (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  8. P. Raghunadha Rao, Adhunika Andhrapradesh Charitra (Telugu, revised edition 1997), p. 305 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2

  9. Venkataramarao, Telangana Charitra (2014), p. 354 (in Telugu) (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩

  10. Venkataramarao, Telangana Charitra (2014), p. 364 (in Telugu) (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩

  11. Venkataramarao, Telangana Charitra (2014), p. 370 (in Telugu) (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2

References

Sources (3)
  1. G. Venkataramarao; C. Narayana Reddy (chief ed.) and J. Chennayya (ed.), Telangana Charitra (తెలంగాణ చరిత్ర) (opens in a new tab), Andhra Saraswata Parishat, Hyderabad, 2014, pp. 341, 348, 352, 354, 364, 367–368, 370–371. Cite-only; paraphrased. In Telugu. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]
  2. P. Raghunadha Rao, Adhunika Andhrapradesh Charitra (ఆధునిక ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్ చరిత్ర), Telugu version of History of Modern Andhra Pradesh (opens in a new tab), Sterling Publishers, New Delhi, 1997, pp. 305. Cite-only; paraphrased. In Telugu. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]
  3. Directorate of Census Operations, Andhra Pradesh, Census of India 2011, Andhra Pradesh (Series 29): District Census Handbook, Y.S.R. (Cuddapah) District, Part XII-A (Village and Town Directory) (opens in a new tab), Census of India, 2014, pp. 8. Cite-only; paraphrased. [All rights reserved (cited, not reproduced)]

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