Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday said that some of the farmers who had committed suicide had taken the extreme step because they had “failed in love”.

In a remark that took many by surprise, Mr Naidu said that farmer suicides were not just due to drought, but also due to failure in love, mounting debts and family problems.

He also cited the recently released National Sample Survey Organisation report, which stated that AP had a higher proportion of indebted farmers at 93 per cent, followed by Telangana State at 89 per cent. He said the government would stand by the families of farmers had who committed suicide.

The AP Assembly had taken up a discussion under Rule 344 on farmer suicides due to drought. Interestingly, on farmer suicides, the Telugu Desam government gave replies similar to the ones that the TRS government had given in the recent TS Assembly when it came under fire from the Telangana TD for the rising number of farmer suicides.

“The TD government is only seven months old. But we should also talk about who created this problem. It is because of the Congress rule.

The previous government didn’t bother to do anything about the Babli Project construction by Maharashtra,” Mr Naidu said. TS CM K. Chandrasekhar Rao had also blamed the previous government for the unabated rise in farmers’ suicides.

But Mr Naidu’s comment on the reason for suicides surprised many. “Farmer suicides are being reported from Anantapur district.

Six farmers committed suicide and the government helped their families by paying Rs 5 lakh ex gratia.

Farmer suicides are not only due to drought, but also due to mounting debts and subsequent family pressures and love failures among young farmers. The government will support their families,” Mr Naidu said.

He also asked the Opposition to give details of farmers, who had committed suicides,  He said the YSR Congress was only talking of case studies, but was not giving any details to the House or the government.

The CM vowed to make the state drought-free by diverting Godavari water to the Krishna Delta and Srisailam water to Rayalaseema.

“About 3,000 TMC of Godavari water is going to waste into the sea. The Krishna River is not perennial. The TD government will solve the drought problem in five years,” he said.