Opposition in new Lok Sabha would be stronger: Farooq Abdullah

Srinagar, Jun 7 (PTI) The days of “dictatorship” are over and the opposition in the new Lok Sabha would be stronger, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said here on Friday.

The former chief minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir said people have given their verdict and the Constitution has been saved.

“This time there will be a strong opposition. When I was in Parliament, we were weak. Nobody used to listen to us and there was dictatorship, but thank God, dictatorship is over now,” Abdullah told reporters here.

He was responding to a question about whether the opposition in the new Lok Sabha would be stronger than the last one given their strength has increased.

Asked about the NDA forming the government for the third consecutive time, the NC president, who represented Srinagar in the previous Lok Sabha, said, “Let them form the government, then we will see”.

To a question whether the new NDA government will succeed, the former Union minister said, “Let us wait and see what happens”.

“You are in media and you and I both will see. Let us wait. Why are you in haste?” he added.

In response to a question about the results of the Parliamentary polls, Abdullah said people have given their verdict.

“They showed that people hold the power and it was proven in these elections. This is a huge achievement. People have the power to vote and can make or break anyone,” he said.

Referring to the exit polls which claimed a brute majority for the BJP, the NC president said the pollsters should shut their shops and apologise to the people.

“Those who claimed 370-400 paar (cross), I think they should stop these exit polls, they should shut their shops. These people (exit pollsters) should apologise to the people for creating misunderstandings among the people,” he said.