Thursday, February 24 2005 10:22 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: The Budget session of Parliament beginning tomorrow (Feb 25, 2005) in the shadow of Assembly polls in three States is expected to generate a lot of heat and dust and the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition is likely to come under severe pressure from the Left allies and attack from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Opposition.

The three-month long session is expected to be tough for the Manmohan Singh Government in the backdrop of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) giving ample hints to put the coalition in the dock on a variety of issues including the dismissal of Goa Government and the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service.

And what may worry the Government the most would be the strident stance of the Left parties on a host of economic issues with virtually daily reminders that the support of the 61-member Left formation is crucial for UPA's survival.

The shape of things to come in Bihar and Jharkhand after the poll verdict on Feb 27 is also expected to have a bearing on the health of the UPA coalition, which would be completing one year in office in May.

A redeeming feature for the Prime Minister was the recent Supreme Court judgement on the issue of 'tainted' Ministers, a matter, which had rocked Parliament in the Monsoon session last year.

The session, scheduled to conclude on May 13, may witness a real tightrope walk for Finance Minister P Chidambaram who will present his Budget for 2005-06 on Feb 28 as he would have to keep the restive Left in good humour while ensuring at the same time that the economic reforms were carried forward.