Farmer's suicide gives Opposition fresh ammunition to target Modi govt in Parliament

New Delhi: Parliament began on a stormy note on Thursday with members of the Congress and other opposition parties moving an adjournment motion in both Houses to discuss the suicide of a Rajasthan farmer in the national capital.

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan termed the issue as serious and said she would allow a discussion on the issue at 12 noon after home minister Rajnath Singh reaches.

Congress MPs were not satisfied with the the Speaker's statement and forced an adjournment till noon. Parliamentary affairs minister Venkaiah Naidu urged the opposition parties not to politicise such a sensitive issue. TV reports said that home minister Rajnath Singh met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the issue shortly before the day's session began.

Outside Parliament too the political blame game continued with Congress workers demonstrating outside the residence of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Congress activists burnt Kejriwal in effigy and shouted slogans against him for continuing with the AAP rally even after the farmer hanged himself to death at the venue

Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia got into a huddle with other party leaders to deal with the fallout of the incident

Gajendra Singh, a farmer from Dausa in Rajasthan, committed suicide on Wednesday by hanging himself from a tree in full public view at an Aam Aadmi Party rally at Jantar Mantar, a stone's throw away from Parliament.

The Congress, in the forefront of the tirade against the Narendra Modi government over the controversial land bill, was quick to pounce on the issue with party vice president Rahul Gandhi blaming the Centre for the rising incidents of farmers' suicides in the country.

At an AICC briefing on Wednesday, party spokesperson Satyavrat Chaturvedi also repeatedly stressed that Modi was responsible for "creating a situation that led the farmer to commit suicide."

"The Prime Minister is particularly responsible for this incident as the situation that has led to it is continuing for months. The Prime Minister did not take the steps, which he should have taken. Investigation must take place, FIR must be filed against him. Nobody is above the law," Chaturvedi said.

Union health minister JP Nadda did not rule out a political fall-out of the suicide, summing up the government's mood in a cryptic, "Let us see."

The government is already under pressure over allegations of trampling on farmers' rights for bringing is significant changes in the land acquisition law, doing with the crucial consent and social impact clauses.

Rahul Gandhi, ever since returning from a mysterious 53-day leave of absence, has been very vocal on the farmers' issue, addressing a rally at the Ram Lila maidan and then attacking the Modi government during a forceful address in the Lok Sabha.

The BJP government managed to pass the bill in Lok Sabha where it enjoys a brute majority but has stumbled in the Upper House where the opposition has blocked its passage.

After the farmer's suicide, even other non-BJP parties which have long sided with the government may change sides.

The government has every reason to be worried over the stance likely to taken by its allies like the Shiromani Akali Dal, which rules Punjab, and the Shiv Sena, which is already throwing tantrums after being slighted in Maharashtra and delay in cabinet expansion at the Centre.