One of Beijing’s top state-run media outlets has attacked the head of Hong Kong’s main opposition party, saying he and his allies have to be swept away in a “house clean up” or else the group will have no future.

In a commentary on Thursday, People’s Daily singled out Democratic Party chairman Lo Kin-hei, accusing him of “hijacking” the group and barring its members from running in Sunday’s Legislative Council election.

The Communist Party’s mouthpiece also accused Lo of having sided with foreign forces to oppose changes to the electoral system, which Beijing imposed to ensure “patriots” governed Hong Kong and national sovereignty and security were upheld.

“Those who serve as chess pawns of foreign forces in order to destroy Hong Kong will be doomed to become cannon fodder,” it said.

Hong Kong will on Sunday hold its first Legco poll since the electoral system was revamped.

The commentary noted the Democratic Party had been characterised as “moderate” but under Lo’s “manipulation”, it was “going farther and farther away from democracy”.

“As for the Democratic Party, if it continues to allow such people to mess around, it will be doomed to go into a dead end,” the commentary said.

The opposition camp, with many of its leaders already in jail, is sitting out the election, arguing the new system has been designed to stifle dissent.

The party dropped plans to field candidates after none of its members submitted applications to run amid a new mechanism devised by the leadership.

Those who wished to throw their hats into the ring would have to secure 40 nominations from fellow members, get a green light from the party’s leadership and be formally endorsed at a subsequent general meeting.

Lo at the time told the media that many members had become ineligible after being disqualified, arrested or detained since the introduction of the national security law, and some also felt lawmakers were now less influential.

“Even though we are not fielding anyone to run in the Legislative Council, the Democratic Party is still a very important force in Hong Kong, because as long as we can represent the people – as long as the people believe that – we can represent them,” he said.

Veteran pro-Beijing heavyweight Lo Man-tuen suggested at the time that Democrats could be in breach of the national security law if they banned members from taking part in the election, the first for the legislature since the revamp in March.

Thursday’s commentary also questioned the value of the party if it was not represented in the legislature. “Its impact will only get smaller,” it said.

The commentary said the party had degenerated into a chess pawn of foreign forces to act as “the leaders of anti-China disrupters”.

It also accused Lo of siding with anti-China forces in the West to attack the electoral reforms, “without taking into account the long-term interest of Hong Kong residents and Hong Kong society”.

It said the new electoral system not only allowed “mono sound” but “stereo sound”, judging from the backgrounds of candidates.

“Only if they uphold the idea of loving the country and loving Hong Kong, no matter who they are, no matter what ideology they hold, or in whatever [governance] structure they believe, can they become members to administer Hong Kong,” it said.

It urged the party to rethink its positioning and “do a house clean up” – weeding out bad elements – “in order not to walk farther and farther along the wrong path and fall into an abyss that will never see a return”.

Polytechnic University political scientist Chan Wai-keung said he believed Beijing would very much have liked the Democratic Party to field several candidates.

“It is the biggest non-establishment party and it is moderate. If it sent people to run, it would not only make the election look less like a ‘one-voice’ thing but also could boost the turnout rate because the party would mobilise its supporters to vote,” he said.

“But the party ended up fielding no one and Beijing might feel like it is losing face and get angered.”

Professor Lau Siu-kai, a pro-Beijing political observer, however, saw the People’s Daily commentary as a final warning to party members. “The central government has no hope in the party and it is to tell members to think about whether they should stay.”

Lo could not be reached for comment on Thursday.