Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday appealed to the protesting farmers by saying that the Government of India is ready to hold talks and listen to the problems and demands that the demonstrating farmers have put forth in relation to the recently passed agricultural legislations.
Shah said that the Agriculture Minister has invited the leaders of the farmers' protest for a discussion on December 3.
"I appeal to the protesting farmers that the Government of India is ready to hold talks. Agriculture Minister has invited them on December 3 for a discussion. The government is ready to deliberate on every problem and demand of the farmers," the Home Minister was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
The Home Minister further said that the Delhi Police will help the protesting farmers shift to a "big ground" where they will receive police permission for holding programmes, instead of having to spend their nights in the cold highways with only tractors and trollies with them.
Shah also assured the farmers that arrangements will be made to address their concerns as soon as possible once they shift to a "structured place", if the farmers' unions wanted to hold discussions before December 3.
As farmers from Punjab and Haryana started protesting against the three new farm laws on Nirankari Samagam Ground in Burari on Saturday, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar reiterated that the central government was ready for talks with the farmer unions` leaders on December 3 to resolve their issues.
"The government is ready to do anything that is required for the prosperity of farmers. We have invited them for talks on December 3 and I hope that they will come," Tomar told ANI.
While the government has maintained that the three laws will do away with middlemen, enabling farmers to sell their produce in the markets directly, protesters fear that these could dismantle the minimum support price (MSP) system, thereby disrupting their timely payments.
The farmers started their "Delhi Chalo" march on Thursday against the three farm laws passed by the central government in September.
After two days of a stand-off with police and facing tear gas, water cannons and barricading at various points on the Delhi-Haryana border, the farmers` march was allowed to enter Delhi on Friday through Tikri border and were told to hold their protest in Burari on the outskirts of the national capital.
The farmers started protesting on Nirankari Samagam Ground in Burari on the outskirts of the national capital on Saturday.
The three laws that have caused the stir are The Farmers` Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
