New Delhi, November 28: 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. Also Read | EPFO Extends Last Date of Submission of Life Certificate; Pensioners Drawing Pension Under EPS 1995 Can Submit Jeevan Praman Patra Till February 28, 2021.

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. Also Read | PM Narendra Modi Visits Bharat Biotech Facility in Hyderabad; Congratulates For Progress in Trials of Its COVID-19 Vaccine, Covaxin.

Tomar said under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Centre has continuously increased the MSP, increased procurement at the increased MSP and also set up a Rs 1 lakh crore infrastructure fund for the farmers.

He accused the political opponents of the BJP of politicising the issue. "If political parties want to do politics, they should do so on their own, not in the name of our farmers."

Responding to a picture posted by Congress leaders showing a police officer purportedly attacking a farmer, the Union minister said that the Congress only knew how to do politics using evil and lies.

"The Congress party uses only hate and evil for their politics because they don't have anything true to tell the people. They were in power for 10 years and they didn't achieve anything, so they are using lies now," he said. 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.

"We don't trust them (government); there have been discussions earlier as well but no solution came out of it. We want the government to take back the laws," said a farmer.

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.

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