Highly placed sources in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) hinted today that the Rajya Sabha's special session may be held sometime in July end or in the first week of August.

A formal response to the President's communication would, however, be sent only after a meeting of the Union Cabinet scheduled for next week. Though the PMO is not unduly disturbed over the Presidential missive as such it does feel that K R Narayanan has taken an ``unprecedented and unusual'' step by advising the government to hold a special session.

According to K L Sharma, BJP's vice president and spokesperson, strange precedents were being set in parliamentary democracy. ``First,the President wanted the Budget of the defeated government to be passed unanimously and without a discussion. Then those who defeated the government wanted polls to be postponed until September. And now they want the government to be accountable to the Parliament.'' He, however, wouldn't confirm whether the President had desired the holding of the special Rajya Sabha session.

On its part, Rashtrapati Bhawan is maintaining a studied silence on the issue.

However, sources close to Narayanan say that he is merely exercising his right under Article 85 of the Constitution which stipulates that the President shall, from time to time summon each House of Parliament to meet at such time and place as he thinks fit, but six months shall not intervene between its last sitting in one session and the date appointed for its first sitting in the next session.

Since some members of the Union Cabinet including Home Minister L K Advani have said that Kargil crisis may extend beyond winter and that emergency may beimposed in the event of escalation of war, the President deemed it fit to step in.

In fact, the President intends to address the special session of the Rajya Sabha under Article 86 of the Constitution. The President has the right to address either House of Parliament or both Houses assembled together, and for that purpose he may require the attendance of the members and may also send messages regarding the same, says the Article.

Normally, the President addresses the first session of the Parliament at the beginning of the year i.e. the Budget session. However, due to the extra-ordinary circumstances, Narayanan intends to address this session.

The Vajpayee government is reluctant to call for the session as it is apprehensive that the Congress may damage the ruling alliance.

The Congress is supposed to have access to certain confidential reports of the RAW, IB, Army and other agencies which proves beyond doubt that there had been strong indications of infiltrations as early as January.

The governmentis delaying the summoning of the Rajya sabha session as it thinks that by July end the Indian armed forces would be able to completely clear the Kargil-Drass sector. The country may also stage a diplomatic win too over Pakistan. An early Rajya Sabha session may be politically counter-productive for the BJP as the government is in a hopeless minority there.

But it does not intend to confront the President on the issue and a final decision may be taken by next week.