[1][2] P. V. Narasimha Rao had a long association with the literary world beginning with his founding of the Telugu magazine Kakatiya, dating back to his years of political activism against the Nizam's rule in Hyderabad.

Rao also contacted Mallika Sarabhai, who ran Mapin publishing house, and the New York literary agent Lynn Franklin who asked him to complete the novel for publication.

Rao, who had by this time served as a Union minister under Indira and Rajiv Gandhi was looking to retire politically and had intended to complete The Other Half by 1991.

After the Congress comprehensively lost the elections the next year, Rao's resigned as prime minister and finally found time to complete his novel.

[1][9] While serving as minister, Anand has a steamy affair with another legislator, Aruna whose character is said to have been based on the three-time Congress MP Lakshmi Kantamma.

When he tries however to pilot a bill on land reforms through the legislature, the inability to do so being the original cause for Chaudhury's replacement, he encounters a strong landlord lobby and is moved out of the state by Indira Gandhi to undertake party work.

[13] On political grounds members of the Congress Party including Najma Heptullah were critical of Rao's novel while many BJP supporters dismissed it as a piece of sleazy writing.

[3][4] Plans for writing a sequel to The Insider were announced by Rao after the book hit the markets and was to have covered his term as prime minister.

[14] In his last years as he fought several cases on charges of corruption it was reported that periodic receipts of royalty from the book helped Rao pay his lawyers.