Showdown Looms Over Planned Anti-Kremlin March MOSCOW - Russian Parliament members moved a step closer to stripping an opposition lawmaker of his post on Monday, heightening tension before an opposition march planned for this weekend. The commission on income and property of the Duma, Russia's lower House of Parliament, found that there were grounds for the expulsion of the lawmaker, Gennady V. Gudkov, a former Soviet intelligence officer who, over the last year, has emerged as one of the few political insiders to persistently and pugnaciously challenge the Kremlin. Mr. Gudkov is accused of operating a business while serving in the legislature, which is prohibited by Russian law. The full Parliament is expected to vote on Mr. Gudkov's fate on Friday. Leaders of two pro-Kremlin factions, United Russia and the Liberal Democrats, have said that they back his ouster, supplying far more than the 226 votes required. The step would cross another boundary for the Russian government, which for years has reined in opposition leaders using softer measures, like restricting access to television and elections. It also presents a dilemma for the vast number of lawmakers who are guilty of the same ethical violation that Mr. Gudkov is accused of. Mr. Gudkov, who denies the accusation, told journalists on Monday that the initiative to expel him was politically motivated. "They are simply removing me from the Duma because they are afraid of the truth, they are afraid of criticism, they are afraid of my position," he said in televised remarks. He also said he would participate in the protest planned for Saturday, despite the risk that, without a deputy's mandate, he would no longer have immunity from criminal prosecution. He currently faces no charges. Only five days remain before the next "March of Millions," which opposition activists hope will restore energy to a protest movement that was built last winter. The last such demonstration, on June 12, passed without incident, but a May 6 gathering, on the eve of President Vladimir V. Putin's inauguration, ended in a chaotic confrontation between demonstrators and riot police officers. Over the summer, the authorities undertook a range of measures to stifle dissent. The Duma hastily passed laws harshly penalizing participants in unauthorized gatherings, introducing new controls for foreign-financed nonprofit organizations and reintroducing criminal prosecution for libel. Seventeen protesters face serious criminal charges for their involvement in the May 6 melee. Investigators have opened criminal inquiries targeting several high-profile protest leaders, serving a warning as they prepare to rally crowds Saturday for an event that so far has not been authorized by city authorities. In coordinated raids before the June demonstration, the police seized more than $1.2 million in cash from the home of Kseniya Sobchak, a television star who has thrown her lot in with the protesters. Officials have suggested that the money was being used to finance protests, and on Wednesday a Moscow court refused to return the money to her. Ms. Sobchak said she would participate in Saturday's march regardless. "How could I not go out when I have repeatedly promised to be with my people in any situation?" she told Dozhd, an Internet news channel. Anna Kordunsky contributed reporting.