The main opposition Pheu Thai Party expects to submit a no-confidence motion against the government before the second and third readings of the 2022 budget bill so that the planned censure debate can take place in the third week of August.
Chonlanan Srikaew, a Pheu Thai MP for Nan, said that if possible the party wants the no-confidence debate to take place from Aug 18-19 and it plans to lodge the motion to House Speaker Chuan Leekpai a week before the budget bill debate.
The House of Representatives is tentatively scheduled to scrutinise the budget spending plan for the 2022 fiscal year on Aug 11-13.
According to Dr Chonlanan, the House of Representatives usually spends a week examining a motion before putting it on the agenda.
He said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is the chief target of the planned censure motion for the government's mismanagement of the Covid-19 pandemic and vaccines and impacts on the economy.
Asked if Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul will be targeted, he said it depends on the available information and other opposition parties are free to add cabinet ministers to the censure list.
The planned debate would be the third for the government after having been in office for more than two years.
The previous one took place over four days in February this year with Gen Prayut and nine other cabinet ministers in the opposition's crosshairs. All survived the debate. The first censure debate was organised in February 2020.
Meanwhile, Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, a secretary attached to the Prime Minister's Office, on Monday urged political parties and groups to set aside political activities and collaborate on tackling the Covid-19 crisis.
He insisted the government has paid heed to public calls over the pandemic, rolled out financial relief for businesses and individuals and taken steps to procure more vaccines including the mRNA type which were expected to arrive in the last quarter.
He said they could resume their political activities after the crisis has eased.