Chandigarh, Feb 16 (IANS): Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has termed the allegations of the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on rigging of civic polls as a typical case of crying foul in the face of their imminent defeat in the election, the results of which will be announced on Wednesday.

"It's a panic reaction to their inevitable wipeout in these polls," said the Chief Minister, adding that the BJP and AAP, as well as the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), are all set to be completely trounced in these municipal polls, whose results will be the precursor of worse to come for these parties that have totally lost the confidence and trust of the people.

"All these parties have worked together to ruin Punjab, with the black farm laws the latest in the long line of their anti-people and anti-Punjab actions," Amarinder said, adding that the shock of their total rejection has unnerved their leadership, who are desperately seeking refuge in "lies and excuses" to cover up their impending failure.

"Why would my government or my party try to sabotage an election that we are clearly winning?" asked the Chief Minister, urging the opposition parties to stop whining and start introspecting on their policies and programmes.

As in the case of the Republic Day violence in Delhi, any instances of violence in the Punjab municipal polls were the handiwork of the BJP and AAP working in collusion to seize the polls by hook or by crook, he added.

Ridiculing BJP's Tarun Chugh over his remarks that the people of Punjab were living in terror and fear, Amarinder said the people of the entire country were, in fact, living under the dread of the "tyrannical" central government, which had given up even the pretence of being a democratic regime.

"The BJP-led government at the Centre has become so despotic that it cannot tolerate the minimum of dissent, even on social media, which is why they probably believe that other parties are also running repressive regimes where ever they are in power," he added.

The Congress has always upheld the Constitutional principles of democracy and freedom of citizens, and continues to do so in Punjab and other states where it is ruling, he said.

"As for Arvind Kejriwal's AAP, that party is nothing more than a tool of the BJP to spread misinformation, and promote its anti-people agenda," alleged the Chief Minister, adding that the lies of these parties are clearly motivated by their petty political agenda.

Amarinder Singh upon the opposition parties in Punjab to stop trying to mislead the people with their deceitful statements and actions.