The BJP feels it is not while the Congress and the Left Parties feel it is. The BJP wants the Opposition to take on the onus of pulling down the Government through a no-confidence motion. The latter wants to keep its hands clean and have the Government collapse ``under the weight of its own contradictions'' by losing a confidence test in the Lok Sabha.

The controversy has been exercising political circles for over a week and in the absence of a consensus in the opposition camp on moving a no-confidence motion, the BJP remains hopeful that its government will pull through, provided of course the President does not ask for a floor test.

Today's meeting with President K R Narayanan may thus have a vital bearing on the survival of the VajpayeeGovernment. Although it was slated as a ``courtesy call'', ostensibly to brief the President on the political situation and the test launch of Agni II, much more was discussed.

The fact that Vajpayee took Home Minister L K Advani and Parliamentary Affairs Minister P R Kumaramangalam with him clearly indicated that he wanted to ascertain the President's opinion on the necessity of a confidence test. Vajpayee is also believed to have explained his Government's views on this crucial question.

However, the probing mission does not seem to have cleared the confusion. The President remained noncommittal. All he is believed to have done is to give an assurance that he would not take any decision in haste.

While acknowledging the President's right to make his own judgement, senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee recalled the precedent set by former President Shanker Dayal Sharma when he directed the Deve Gowda Government to face a floor test after the Congress withdrew support in March 1997.

The situationwas startlingly similar to the current one. The budget session was in progress and the President could have taken the view that the opposing parties should use established parliamentary tools like a no confidence motion to vote out the Government. But he did not.

Constitutional expert K K Venugopal said that the President could intervene if he felt ``that there was no likelihood of a minority government being able to continue to function with outside support''.

At the same time, he clarified that the President was not obliged to intervene since Parliament was in session. ``He may take the view that the political parties in opposition should decide whether or not to allow the Government to continue,'' he said.

The BJP is relying on the precedent set during the tenure of the Narasimha Rao Government. Rao ran a minority government for three years without being asked to face a confidence vote after the first one. Ultimately, when the opposition wanted to dislodge him, it had to move a no-confidencemotion.

The Congress is distinctly reluctant to bring such a motion against the Vajpayee Government for fear of being accused of destablising the Centre yet again. While Jayalalitha could move the motion, anything carrying her party's name will scare off the DMK and every MP is needed in such a closely fought numbers game.

The Left is also disinclined to take the initiative as is the Rashtriya Loktantrik Morcha for reasons similar to the Congress.

With the opposition continuing to mull over the modalities, the BJP hopes that the President will bail out the Government by putting the ball in the court of the Lok Sabha.