New Delhi: The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government is expected to face testing times in its first session of Parliament beginning tomorrow (Jun 2, 2004) with Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) determined to raise the issue of induction of "tainted" ministers virtually right from the word go.

While the first two days of the first session of the 14th Lok Sabha would be devoted to oath taking by newly elected members, the trouble is expected to erupt on June four when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh introduces his Council of Ministers in the House.

The BJP has threatened to raise the issue of induction of persons, who have been chargesheeted or have criminal charges against them, both inside Parliament and outside.

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An inkling of the Opposition aggression was available yesterday (May 31, 2004) when JD-U (Janata Dal-United) staged a dharna to demand that the Government drop the "tainted" Ministers to keep its promise of providing a corruption-free Government.

The Government has moved fast to avert a possible confrontation with the Opposition on the issue of election of Speaker with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh offering Deputy Speakership to the Opposition to ensure unanimous election of CPI-M (Communist Party-Marxist) veteran Somnath Chatterjee as the Speaker.

The move comes in the wake of NDA convenor George Fernandes' remarks that the Opposition planned to field P A Sangma as their candidate against Chatterjee.

The Rajya Sabha will commence from June four and both Houses are scheduled till June 10.

Though the Prime Minister has taken up the stand that everyone is innocent till the person was convicted, the Opposition is unimpressed.

The argument by the Opposition is that the Congress had raised hue and cry in the last Lok Sabha over the continuance of some ministers even before they were chargesheeted.

The BJP also plans to corner the UPA Government on the issues of hassles it faced in formulating a Common Minimum Programme with parties in the coalition openly bargaining for ministerial berths and portfolios and speaking in different voices.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad is apparently unperturbed by the opposition plans and is brushing aside any major trouble by BJP and its allies. "If there is no sound and fury, then where is Parliament, where is democracy? There has to be some noise. There is a role for the Opposition," he said.

The session is likely to see former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee being made the Chairman of the BJP Parliamentary Party and subsequently that of the NDA and former Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani the Leader of Opposition.

The highlight of the brief session will be the address by President A P J Abdul Kalam to a joint sitting of both the Houses on June seven. Discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President for his Address will be held for two days in the Rajya Sabha and three days in the Lok Sabha.