Bhumjaithai Party supporters have been crying foul over what they perceive to be growing hostility towards the party from within and outside the coalition bloc.
A source said the second largest coalition party was being attacked from several directions just as it was being tipped to go into the next election with an upper hand.
The source said Bhumjaithai has emerged as a strong contender for the next poll, expected in the middle of next year at the latest, and in the process, it has suddenly found itself surrounded by enemies.
The attacks are stemming chiefly from two equally controversial bills, both sponsored by Bhumjaithai, which it hopes to capitalise on to gain essential ground in the next election.
These bills -- one on the promotion of cannabis and hemp for medical and research purposes and the other governing the revision of the Student Loan Fund law to make it "fairer to defaulters" as widely alleged -- are putting Bhumjaithai in a tight spot.
They landed the party in the hot water within the span of a few weeks.
Political suspense is growing alongside anticipation of imminent political change, with a general election following a House dissolution which could come sooner than the scheduled polls.
The prospect of disbanding the House was hingeing on Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha surviving the Constitutional Court ruling to decide whether Gen Prayut had overstayed his tenure as premier on Aug 24.
Bhumjaithai has been dubbed the up-and-coming party for the next general election. It has packed a punch politically after managing to push the two pieces of legislation it has sponsored, which figured highly in its campaign in the previous election.
However, both bills have met stiff resistance from lawmakers who find them having been forged to the advantage of Bhumjaithai at the expense of the general public.
These are the bills on cannabis and hemp and the Student Loan Fund (SLF).
The cannabis bill, touted as historic for decriminalising cannabis and hemp as narcotic plants, was Bhumjaithai's main election pledge. The party worked steadily to issue a public health announcement early this year that opened the first window to delisting the two plants from the narcotics list.
At the same time, it pushed a bill, which legally recognises the decriminalisation of cannabis and hemp and imposes rules on their use for medical and research purposes, for parliamentary debate.
All appeared to go well until the bill was up for second and third readings. The Democrats and Pheu Thais demanded that the bill be withdrawn for rework, insisting it was fraught with loopholes that exposed youths to danger resulting from easy access to the plants.
The Democrat Party was instantly accused of trying to undermine Bhumjaithai in retaliation against the latter trying to challenge Democrat dominance in the South.
Democrat leader Jurin Laksanawisit denied his party had an ulterior motive in opposing the cannabis bill, saying it acted to safeguard public interest. He declared the party was mature enough to keep away from dirty tricks.
The House of Representatives voted 198 to 136 with 12 abstentions to withdraw the bill for revision despite staunch objections from Bhumjaithai.
Bhumjaithai leader Anutin Charnvirakul, who also serves as public health minister, said his party and the Democrats have the right to hold different opinions, and following the House move to review the bill's contents, Bhumjaithai had to respect the decision.
His party had set its sights on allowing cannabis to be used for medical purposes, not recreationally, Mr Anutin said.
Bhumjaithai members, however, fear the revision will take too long and that the bill might not return for its final readings before parliament's term ends in March next year.
Within days of the cannabis bill being pulled, Bhumjaithai was dealt a second blow when the bill to amend the Student Loan Act, which the party also initiated, was accepted by parliament for scrutiny.
It was met with raucous boos within and outside parliament for proposing to free SLF debtors from interest, default fines and guarantor requirements.
Bhumjaithai insisted that if the bill was passed it would save 3.4 million defaulting students from legal action.
However, critics attacked the bill for jeopardising the financial discipline of borrowers and weakening the SLF, a revolving fund that sustains itself from money going into its coffers from repaid loans.
The SLF bill was among 12 pieces of legislation the party forwarded to parliament on Sept 12, 2019.
Marriages of convenience
Defections are now quite common as the end of the House of Representatives' term nears, according to observers.
Korn: Defected from own Kla Party
The latest is that of veteran politician Korn Chatikavanij who ditched the Kla Party he had formed to join the Chart Pattana Party which was renamed "Chart Pattana Kla" after officially welcoming him into its ranks on Sept 26.
With Kla's status as a political party remaining unchanged, this is not a merger. It is described as a political alliance that will put more wind in their sails.
Chart Pattana is a well-established party with a strong base in Nakhon Ratchasima while Mr Korn, who served as finance minister from Dec 20, 2008–Aug 9, 2011, under the Abhisit Vejjajiva administration, has extensive economic expertise and may appeal to young voters.
However, some observers prefer not to sugarcoat it and call it a struggle to survive the new vote calculation method in the next election. They reckon Mr Korn's decision to defect was down to the Kla Party's diminishing prospects in the next poll.
Mr Korn quit the Democrat Party to form the Kla Party in February 2020 after losing the leadership race to Jurin Laksanawisit, who is the current commerce minister. The party started with a bang, but its performance at by-elections and in the Bangkok City Council poll in May was not encouraging.
The party is likely to be left irrelevant at the next poll if the use of 100 to calculate the number of list MPs is eventually adopted, according to observers.
The calculation method was central to an organic bill on the election of MPs, which failed to meet its amendment deadline in parliament and forced the adoption of 100 in calculating list MPs in the next election.
Many small parties, which have limited resources and manpower, are opposed to this method. They want to use 500 in the calculation as they see it as a much easier way to capture list seats at the poll. The bill is pending deliberation in the Constitutional Court along with an organic bill on political parties.
Atavit Suwannapakdee, Kla's former secretary-general, appeared to acknowledge the drawback when discussing the use of 100 in the calculation of list seats."In a system that uses 100 in the calculation, a political party must be strong and have constituency and list MPs. Small parties have to merge ... they can't stay separate," he said.
Mr Atavit appeared alongside Mr Korn following the latter's appointment as a Chart Pattana Kla Party executive at a special assembly in Nakhon Ratchasima last Monday. But, Mr Atavit's status in Chart Pattana Kla is not immediately clear and it is speculated that he will be appointed a party executive later.
According to observers, another partnership similar to the Chart Pattana-Kla alliance may be on the horizon.
They are keeping a close watch on two newly formed parties -- the Sang Anakhot Thai Party (SAT) headed by Uttama Savanayana and the Thai Sang Thai Party (TST) led by Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan.
Both are said to have discussed "political cooperation" or even a merger for some time. The parties have also unveiled their prime ministerial candidates -- former deputy prime minister Somkid Jatusripitak will stand for the SAT and Khunying Sudarat will represent her party.
It is reported that Mr Somkid is actively involved in the talks while the TST team is led by Pokin Polakul, the party's chief strategist, and Sita Divari, the party's secretary-general.
They have reportedly reached an initial agreement on party leadership and prime ministerial candidates.
If a partnership is forged, Khunying Sudarat will take up the leadership role. The SAT's argument against Mr Uttama taking the helm is that people cannot forget that he is the former leader of the ruling Palang Pracharath Party.
On prime ministerial candidates, both sides have agreed that three names can be put forward and both Mr Somkid and Khunying Sudarat will be named.
Under the law, a political party can name up to three prime ministerial candidates whose candidacy must be submitted to the EC ahead of the polls.
Observers say a Sang Anakhot Thai-Thai Sang Thai alliance is likely to cause a stir in political circles thanks to Mr Somkid's and Khunying Sudarat's credentials and some may be wondering what could possibly be keeping both sides from striking the deal.