KARUNA SHINSHO, ASIA TONIGHT: In neighboring India, parliament is set to resume sitting tomorrow after a several week break. The government faces a crunch vote that could increase the pressure on Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. His administration is already reeling from a bribery scandal over arms purchases. Suhasini Haidar has more.</s>SUHASINI HAIDAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In this session, parliament is expected to debate on and pass a crucial vote on the government's budget for this year. The budget, which should have been passed in early March, has been hanging fire over the defense tapes scandal that led to the resignation of former defense minister George Fernandes last month. The opposition says that's not enough. They want prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's government to resign as well. In March, opposition protests paralyzed parliament for nine consecutive days. No business was transacted. On Saturday, the main opposition Congress Party even refused to attend a meeting called by the prime minister to resolve the parliamentary crisis. They are protesting against an inquiry his government has allegedly ordered against their leader Sonia Gandhi. Now, Vajpayee is on the offensive. He's challenged the opposition to a show of strength.</s>ATAL BEHARI VAJPAYEE, INDIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): If they feel that we have lost the confidence of the house and they have the confidence of the people, they should bring a no-confidence motion into the house. Let there be a counting of heads.</s>HAIDAR: Although the Vajpayee-led National Democratic Alliance has a comfortable majority in parliament, it has already lost two allies over the defense scandal. And with nearly 50 bills pending in parliament, including the key finance bill, pressure increases on the Indian government to make sure this parliament session doesn't go the way of the last one. Suhasini Haidar, CNN, New Delhi.
Indian Parliament To Resume Session Tomorrow