AS FARMERS protesting against the new farm laws started entering Delhi, the Central government on Friday reiterated that it is open for talks on the contentious issues. “To remove any misunderstanding about the new agricultural laws, I invite all farmer brothers and sisters for discussion,” tweeted Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar. “Enacting new laws was the need of the hour, these new agricultural laws are going to bring revolutionary changes in the farmers' lives in the coming time.” The minister tagged a video in which he said the government is ready for discussions. He said he has requested the farmers to come for discussions on December 3. Follow farmers' protest LIVE Updates While Delhi Police allowed the protesting farmers to enter the Capital, there was no indication on whether the Central government will hold talks with the farm union representatives before December 3. Farm union representatives, too, said Friday evening that they had not got any invitation for talks earlier than December 3. “So far we have not received any invitation for talks from the government,” said Kavitha Kuruganti, working group member of All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), which is leading the march to Delhi. On November 24, the AIKSCC wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding repeal of three farm laws and withdrawal of the Electricity Amendment Bill 2020. Earlier, on November 13, talks between the government and farm union representatives remained inconclusive. Ten days later, Union Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey, who holds additional charge of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, wrote a letter to 32 farm unions, inviting them for talks on December 3. While there is no specific agenda mentioned in the letter, it is expected that key demands of the farmers’ groups, including repealing of the three laws and legal guarantee for the minimum support price, will be on table.
