Published Jun 04, 2026 | 12:16 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 04, 2026 | 12:16 PM
Synopsis: Dr Gadala Srinivasa Rao, the former Director of Public Health and Family Welfare, Telangana, formally joined Jana Sena. What makes Dr Rao’s political journey notable is how publicly he aligned himself with the previous dispensation before joining Jana Sena. Moreover, his tenure as DPH had drawn fire from medical associations, Opposition parties, anti-corruption watchdogs, and the Auditor General of Telangana.
A day after Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan staked the party’s claim in Telangana with a press conference on the state’s Formation Day, on 2 June, the party’s first recruitment gave it something it has lacked in the state, a face the public knows.
Dr Gadala Srinivasa Rao, the former Director of Public Health and Family Welfare, Telangana, formally joined Jana Sena on Wednesday, 3 June, at Pawan Kalyan’s Jubilee Hills residence in Hyderabad.
Through the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr Rao was a near-daily presence on television, delivering briefings and updating case counts as the public face of Telangana’s pandemic response.
Pawan Kalyan, who had declared 24 hours earlier that Jana Sena would contest the 2029 Telangana Assembly elections and the upcoming Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) polls, welcomed Dr Rao and praised his public service career, particularly his role during the pandemic.
“As a Jana Sainik, I will dedicate myself to strengthening the party across Telangana and work towards public welfare, youth empowerment, women’s advancement, better healthcare, good governance, and the overall development of society,” Dr Rao said. He cited Pawan Kalyan’s integrity and vision for value-based politics as his reason for joining, saying he wanted to continue serving society on a larger platform.
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What makes Dr Rao’s political journey notable is how publicly he aligned himself with the previous dispensation before joining Jana Sena.
In November 2022, television cameras captured him touching the feet of then-chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), not once, but twice, at an official government event marking the launch of eight new medical colleges. The footage went viral.
BJP and Congress were critical, with former BJP MLC and now BJP State President N Ramachander Rao calling the act “disgusting” for a serving officer. Dr Rao was unapologetic, saying he would do it “100 times” as gratitude for KCR’s role in establishing the colleges.
The episode did not slow his political ambitions. By 2023, while still serving as DPH, he was canvassing for a BRS election ticket from the Kothagudem constituency. He made political comments against the local sitting MLA and argued publicly that there should be a retirement age in politics, a remark from a man still drawing a government salary.
Opposition parties filed misconduct complaints with the Governor, citing conduct rules that bar serving employees from political activity. The pressure contributed to his voluntary retirement, which was approved by the state on 8 August 2024.
The arc is straightforward: Feet-touching loyalty to KCR in 2022, lobbying for a BRS ticket in 2023, and now an induction into Jana Sena in 2026, a party whose president is also the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and a BJP ally. The political weather changed, and Dr GSR changed with it.
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His tenure as DPH was not only defined by pandemic briefings. It drew fire from medical associations, Opposition parties, anti-corruption watchdogs, and the Auditor General of Telangana.
He publicly claimed that Covid-19 was controlled in Telangana by “the grace of Lord Jesus”, not by the vaccination programme. The Forum for Good Governance demanded action. The same body flagged his statement crediting a Tayath, a religious thread tied at a mosque during his childhood, for his recovery from a childhood injury and his rise to the position of DPH. He also stated publicly that he grew up under the influence of Naxalites.
The corruption allegations are more serious. He was accused of paying a ₹2 crore bribe to secure his DPH posting, bypassing 61 senior civil surgeons, many from SC/ST/BC communities. He was accused of issuing roughly 3,000 illegal deputation orders in violation of GO 145, collecting cash from medical staff in exchange for postings. The Auditor General flagged a ₹5 lakh discrepancy in funds allocated for a personal political gathering, the Athmeeya Sammelanam, in Bhadradri-Kothagudem. He also ran a personal charity, the Dr GSR Trust, which critics called a vehicle to collect money from employees who had benefited from his departmental decisions.
His VRS was approved with a caveat: “without prejudice to disciplinary cases and recovery dues,” meaning he remains liable for financial recoveries and criminal prosecution.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
