Why did Gadala Srinivasa Rao seek Congress ticket? Loyalist as an officer, opportunist as a politician?

HYDERABAD: Gadala Srinivasa Rao is a professional doctor who rose to the level of Director of Health department wanted to stoop to conquer.

But, as if providence was more at works than effort, Dr Rao had to remain content with his job rather than hope in 2023 Assembly elections.

Dr Rao suddenly made news by having his associates file on his behalf an application with Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee seeking a Lok Sabha ticket from Khammam.

Interestingly, there are too many aspirants vying with one another for the Congress ticket from Khammam. The long list includes former MP Renuka Chowdhary, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka’s wife Nandini.

Well, Dr Rao may or may not get to be considered, but there is a catch in this whole episode. While he is a Munnur Kapu, usually Kammas contest this seat and vie with others to snatch the opportunity too.

The catch is that Dr Rao is on a long leave as he was stripped of the post of Director Health by the Revanth Reddy regime. In fact, he was appointed the Director in 2018 by the KCR Government and was continued in the post till 2023.

Dr Rao who had seriously nursed political ambition. Went and touched the feet of then Chief Minister KCR twice full glare of cameras and courted a big controversy. He had hit the headlines back then on November 16, 2022.

He had aspired for Kothagudem MLA ticket and represented the same to KCR who just smiled and nodded. Dr Rao, ignoring all the conduct rules of a government staffer, went ahead and addressed public meetings and joined the issue with then MLA Vanama Venkateswara Rao. Dr Rao openly criticised Vanama and pulled all the stops to get a BRS nomination. But, Dame Luck refused to smile on him and KCR went ahead with retaining almost all sitting MLAs. Under that garb, Dr Rao had to swallow the bitter pill of ticket denial grudgingly.

Now, though he is saying he is testing his fortunes in Lok Sabha polls with the Congress, the bigger reason behind is something else.

A newspaper that masquerades as a puppeteer of the powers that be in Telangana and the Opposition in Andhra Pradesh published that the Revanth Reddy regime was preparing a dossier against Dr Rao who is still in service. “Soon, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) would conduct raids on Dr Rao and bring him to book. This speculation exposed the intent of the media house rather than its role as a news oracle. Irrespective of how much truth is there in the specification, Dr Rao must be surely trying all methods to insulate himself from a possible targeting by the current Congress regime. For now, opportunism is more at work rather than past loyalty.

Didn’t the Bard of Avon say: “Love all, trust few…”