India's Modi Urges Unity after Farmer Suicide

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged all political parties Thursday to work together to help troubled farmers after one of them hanged himself at a protest over planned land reforms.

News channels were dominated by the fallout over Gajendra Singh's suicide the day before in front of hundreds of people at a rally against Modi's plans to make it easier for businesses to acquire land.

Singh, reportedly a father of three from the desert state of Rajasthan, was declared dead on arrival at a local hospital after hanging himself from a tree during the protest in the centre of the capital New Delhi.

A sombre-looking Modi asked his colleagues and rivals to join hands to help farmers battle an "age-old problem" of suicide, often triggered by devastated crops due to unseasonable rains.

"We are many parties but this is a huge nation and we need to work together," he told lawmakers.

"I welcome any suggestions to help our farmers and I assure you that the government will consider them."

Wednesday's rally, which was organised by the anti-corruption Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), was the latest of a series of opposition protests against Modi's push to make it easier to buy farmland for development projects.

Several fresh protests were staged across the capital Thursday as a row over who was to blame for Singh's death intensified.

While Modi's opponents say the suicide was an understandable reaction to the land bill, some followers of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) say that Aam Aadmi organisers should have stopped Singh's hanging. 

Home Minister Rajnath Singh asked that the incident not be exploited and echoed Modi's request to "put our heads together and come to a solution".

"The incident is indeed very shameful and unfortunate and it should not be politicised," the minister said. 

Scores of debt-laden farmers have suffered damage to their winter crops from unseasonal hail storms and rains, with media reporting a string of suicides in recent weeks.

Anger has also been mounting in rural areas over Modi's land reform bill, which the government says is needed speed up economic growth, but political opponents say favours big business at the expense of struggling farmers.