A PPRP list-MP gave his assurances on Thursday the government would refrain from proceeding with a petition seeking the Constitutional Court's review on the legality of the opposition's upcoming no-confidence motion.
The petition, which was sponsored by Palang Pracharath Party-list MP Paiboon Nititawan, would ask the House of Representatives to seek the court's ruling on the legality of the opposition's no-confidence motion after it refused to reword sections mentioning the monarchy.
The process to obtain the court's ruling is potentially time-consuming, and is seen by government critics as an attempt to stall the censure debate, which is set to take place on Feb 16–Feb 19.
The petition needs to be endorsed by the House, which is held by the government coalition, before it is forwarded to the court.
Wirach Ratanasate, the PPRP list-MP and chief government whip, said the petition's motion is not yet included on the House agenda, insisting the government will not try to move it up as feared by some critics.
Last week, PPRP list-MP Chaiwut Thanakhamanusorn, said if the court rules against the opposition's motion to hold the debate in its current state, it will be compelled to make changes.
He said if the court considers the government's petition, the debate will likely be postponed until the court has made a ruling.
Mr Chaiwut said he was confident the public would understand the party's move because censure debates are political matters and the monarchy should be left out of it.
On Thursday, Mr Wirach also said Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam will attend a rehearsal for the censure debate this weekend to help cabinet ministers targeted for criticism by the opposition prepare for their grilling.
Up to 100 government coalition MPs are expected to join the two-day rehearsal, and some are expected to pose as opposition MPs directing questions to the ministers, he said.
Jirayu Huangsap, Bangkok MP of the main opposition Pheu Thai Party, on Thursday said several government MPs do not see eye-to-eye with Mr Paiboon over his plan to seek a judicial review, and are likely to reject the motion.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and his deputy are among the targets of the censure debate.
"I can assure everyone that the opposition parties are going full throttle with the censure debate and so the prime minister and his ministers should be prepared," Mr Jirayu said.