Ma Subramanian, who has Stalin's ears, is Tamil Nadu's new Health Minister

Ma Subramanian is regarded as an efficient administrator and a true-blue grassroots man who never hesitates to get to the ground. And that is precisely why Chief Minister M K Stalin has handed over the most crucial portfolio – Health – in times of Covid-19 pandemic to his trusted lieutenant.

A marathon runner who has won several global accolades, Subramanian may have to use all his energy to get Tamil Nadu out of the Covid-19 crisis. He is a stickler to time and his daily schedule – Ma Su never misses his one-hour exercise a day.

While everyone was expecting a medical doctor-legislator to be appointed as the Health Minister, Stalin sprang a surprise by choosing a go-getter and a person who he thought could handle the crisis.

Stalin and Subramanian go a long way – the latter was a councilor of the Chennai Corporation when the former was its first directly-elected Mayor during 1996-2001. And during Subramanian's tenure as Mayor from 2006-2011, Stalin was the Municipal Administration Minister and deputy chief minister.

“Ma Su is literally Stalin's shadow in terms of thought process. Since Ma Su has worked with our leader from the Mayor days, he would execute everything that the CM wants. Moreover, the former Chennai Mayor does not look at his watch while at work, and the government needs such a person this time. We need an administrator, and a groundworker now. Ma Su fits the bill,” a senior DMK leader told DH.

As a Mayor, Ma Su was credited with digitising the process of availing death and birth certificates thereby reducing graft and avoiding long queues at corporation offices, reforming the schools run by the civic body, and ensuring a ban on the erection of banners and cut-outs.

“He has already worked with bureaucrats when he was Chennai Mayor. He is a good listener, and will go by the officer's advice if he is convinced. It will be a challenging task for Ma Su, but his administrative experience will come handy now,” an official said.

Representing Saidapet Assembly constituency since 2016, Ma Su's biggest strength is his connect with the people. “He works for 16 hours a day and in that, three to four hours go only in meeting people. When you see a minister crisscrossing hospitals, Covid Care Centres, and other connected places, people get the confidence,” a local DMK leader told DH.