Andhra Pradesh chief-minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president Chandrababu Naidu had a dig at the ruling Edapadai K. Palanisami-led regime in Tamil Nadu when he opined that the whole world was aware that ‘New Delhi’ (read: the BJP-led Centre) was ‘remote-controlling’ the political proceedings in Chennai (read: AIADMK regime).

Naidu was in Chennai to attend the unveiling of a bronze statue of the late DMK president M. Karunanidhi withing the premises of ‘Anna Arivalayam’, the DMK’s headquarters at Teynampet in Chennai. Naidu and his Puducherry and Kerala coutnerparts besides Congres president Rahul Gandhi were among other dignitatries who attended the event.

After Rahul Gandhi, his mother Sonia Gandhi and other leaders paid homage to Karunanidhi’s Memorial on the Marina, the leaders attended a huge public meeting at YMCA grounds at Royapettah. Naidu lavished praise on Karunanidhi stating that his political career, which had stretched over 70 years, was an ideal guide for aspiring and current politicians in India and elsewhere. “What I liked most about Karunanidhi was that he never lost any election and won every time he contested Assembly polls,” Naidu recalled.

Turning his attention to the BJP-led Centre, he said “Institutions such as CBI, ED, RBI and ECI are harassed by those in Delhi and democratic institutions are not allowed to function authentically and on their own,” and added that the Centre was also ‘remote-controlling’ the weak AIADMK regime at the Centre. “It is an open secret,” he ridiculed.