Of affairs, dowry and impotence

In a classic case of once bitten twice shy, the agriculture ministry has conveniently skipped the mention of "love affairs, dowry and impotence" as being among the reasons for farmers to commit suicide in India. Last time around, in July to be precise, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh had told Parliament that farmers were committing suicide due to love affairs, dowry and impotence apart from financial crisis.

His remarks handed the Opposition ammunition to attack a government that was already facing heat over its land and agrarian policies. In the ongoing winter session of Parliament, those factors found no mention in the agricultural ministry's written reply on the same question. Instead, it stated that indebtedness, farm-related issues, poverty, family problems, illness and other reasons were responsible for farmer suicides.