The opposition is moving to file a no-confidence motion against the government next month — the second such censure round the current administration is facing.
Sutin Klungsang, chief opposition whip and an MP for the main opposition Pheu Thai Party, disclosed on Tuesday the debate will focus on the government's handling of the faltering economy and alleged corruption.
He insisted the opposition will pack a surprisingly heavy punch this time around.
Mr Sutin said the bloc was preparing the censure motion to be submitted to parliament next month. In the meantime, the opposition parties are compiling information to be used for grilling the cabinet ministers to be targeted.
Although he declined to say who will be grilled, there are credible indications Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will be the number one target on account of his role as government leader while Deputy Agriculture Minister Capt Thamanat Prompow may also be on the list of targets.
Mr Sutin said the opposition is seeking to censure the government what it claims are a failure to correctly analyse the economic situation and "unforgivable" levels of corruption.
The previous no-confidence debate was held at the end of February.
Mr Sutin said he expected no repeat of the rift between the Pheu Thai and the Future Forward, a fellow opposition party which has since been dissolved over a loan made by its leader, in the upcoming debate.
Back then, Future Forward MPs complained that they were “cheated” out of their chance to speak by the Pheu Thai which spared Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwon, one of the key no-confidence targets, from an intense interrogation.
Gen Prayut has said he is unperturbed by the prospect of another such session.
Wisarn Techatheerawat, the Pheu Thai MP for Chiang Rai, said the opposition parties have delegated responsibility for finding evidence to support the censure allegations, particularly those connected to corruption, as checking for state graft was a hard task. However, he refused to elaborate further.
On the economic front, he said the government was to blame for the current stagnation with small and medium-sized enterprises, crucial drivers of the economy, struggling to stay afloat.
"Throughout the debate, the opposition will expose irregularities so people can play a role in keeping the government in check," Mr Wisarn said.
Meanwhile, Gen Prawit downplayed a reported plan by the opposition Seri Ruam Thai Party to censure Gen Prayut over his occupation of a reception house in a Bangkok army unit after the Constitutional Court judged Gen Prayut not guilty of a conflict of interest.
"The house issue is over and done with," Gen Prawit said.
Also, Capt Thamanat said he was ready to explain himself in the debate if he was targeted again. He said he had nothing to fear should the opposition accuse him of revising the legal conditions surrounding the Sor Por Kor land reform programme, a scheme reserved for landless farmers, to benefit rich business people.