NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu chief minister and DMK chief on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on Puducherry CM, calling him a “puppet”, claiming that real authority in the union territory is in the hands of the lieutenant governor.Addressing an election rally, MK Stalin accused the Centre of undermining democratic governance in Puducherry by allowing the lieutenant governor to exercise “excessive and overriding powers,” leaving the elected government sidelined. He argued that, despite having an assembly and an elected chief minister, key administrative decisions are effectively controlled by the Centre’s representative.“The chief minister is unable to exercise the powers entrusted to him by the people. Instead, the lieutenant governor has become ‘all in all,” Stalin said, alleging that this imbalance has weakened governance and accountability.The DMK president further brought up the long-pending demand of full statehood for Puducherry. He asserts that such a status will redirect the authority to the elected government and prevent it from what he describes as “backseat governance” by the centrally appointed official.He also criticised the BJP-led Centre, under PM Narendra Modi, for failing to address the demand despite repeated resolutions passed by the Puducherry assembly. According to Stalin, the current arrangement has led to administrative inefficiencies and policy paralysis.Framing the upcoming elections as a referendum on governance, Stalin urged voters to reject what he called a “power imbalance” and support a change that would ensure the chief minister is no longer “reduced to a symbolic role.”