Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday said the Centre’s controversial farm laws will sound the death knell for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

He said with the BJP failing to muster candidates to contest on even 50 per cent of the civic body seats in Punjab, the state would prove to be the party’s nemesis..

The BJP should start preparing itself for political oblivion, said the CM, adding the party’s fate is now sealed, not just in Punjab but also at the Centre, where its despotic rule is all set to end.

“The farm laws will spell the death knell for this repressive, despotic and autocratic party. For nearly seven years they (BJP) have trampled over human rights, as well as the dignity and aspirations of Indians in every possible way, and now it is the people’s turn,” said Amarinder.

“If the so-called urban party could not find candidates to field in more than half of the state’s civic body seats, one can only imagine what they will face in rural Punjab if they ever decide to contest there, said the CM.

No political leadership anywhere in the world has ever survived for long by ignoring the interests of its own citizens, and the BJP scripted its own destiny in the shape of those draconian farm laws, Amarinder said.

Naturally, the farmers are angry with the BJP and are looking for every opportunity to vent their anger on their leaders, he said, adding that were it not for the excessive police deployment during the visits of these leaders, things could have really got out of hand. Given the threat perception due to the farmers’ ire against the BJP, Punjab Police is deploying unprecedented number of personnel wherever their leaders are going for campaigning, he said, adding that senior police officers are themselves supervising the arrangements.

The BJP’s desperation to blame everyone but itself for the mess it is in indicates how badly it is set to lose not just these civic polls but also the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections, said the CM.

To the party leadership’s assertion that it will spring a surprise in Punjab in the Assembly polls, he remarked with sarcasm: “Yes, there will be a big surprise in 2022, with BJP’s very existence being wiped out from our soil.”