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The Group of 40 Senators, led by Somchai Sawaengkarn, said that when the House reconvened to hold an extraordinary session to deliberate the budget bill and the emergency decree, 150 Senators would block their passage if the government gave the green-light to the bus-leasing project.

Bangkok Senator Rosana Tositrakul said after close scrutiny, her group had discovered that the cost of leasing and maintaining the buses was unusually high and would bring huge losses to the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority. They suggested the government have the Thailand Development Research Institute study the project further and determine what should be spent on the project before making any decisions.

"We suspect foul play. The Transport Minister is acting like a concessionaire because he keeps reducing the price of the project every day. If the Cabinet approves the project tomorrow [today], I guarantee that this government is in for big trouble,'' she said.

"The Bhum Jai Thai Party has already been criticised for getting funds ready for general elections, and this is probably why it appears to be so keen in pushing this project through,'' she said.

Somchai called on the Abhisit Vejjajiva government to show political courage by suspending the project, adding that the Bhum Jai Thai Party did not dare withdraw from the coalition because it did not have enough funds to contest elections.

Meanwhile, BMTA board chairman Piyapan Champasut failed to show up and offer information on the project in front of the anti-graft House panel yesterday.

Committee chairman, Wilat Chanpitak, said he felt Piyapan was intentionally avoiding the issue so he called him questioning his absence.

"He said he had an urgent meeting with the Transport Minister, and would not have had any extra information if he had shown up because the project was still at the planning stage," he said, adding that Piyapan would be summoned again.

In another development, the opposition Pheu Thai Party will file a no-confidence motion if the government approves the project, party spokesman Prompong Nopparit said yesterday.

"It is a foregone conclusion that the project has been plagued with irregularities because the price tag is inflated," he said.

Prompong said Pheu Thai would be asking the National Counter Corruption Commission to look into the matter, over and above the plan to launch a censure debate.

He said a network of BMTA-licensed bus operators had offered a leasing deal for Bt2,500 per bus per day, inclusive of maintenance costs. The deal as worked out by the BMTA has come up with the price tag of Bt4,445 per bus per day, he said, voicing suspicions of foul play.