New Delhi, December 28: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar once against asked the Centre to reach out to the farmers who are protesting against the recently-enacted farm laws. Speaking to reports in the national capital, Sharad Pawar said the central government should take the farmers' protest seriously, adding a solution must be found following discussions. Farmers' Protest: Centre Invites Farmer Leaders for 6th Round of Talks on Farm Laws on December 30.

"I think the government should take the entire agitation very seriously. There has to be dialogue and solution," Pawar was quoted by news agency ANI as saying. Citing reports of farmers committing suicide at protest sites, the former Agriculture Minister said: "I heard... there are four or five suicides. If that type of situation is developing, it's not good for the country." Farmers' Protest: Anna Hazare Threatens to Go on Hunger Strike if His Demands on Issues Concerning Farmers Are Not Met.

Thousands of farmers have been protesting at Delhi borders and other parts of the country, demanding the Centre to withdraw the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020 and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

Pawar's statement comes hours after the Centre invited farmer leaders for a meeting on December 30. This would be the sixth round of talks between the farmers and the government. The earlier rounds of talks had remained inconclusive. Earlier today, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Pawar were pressurised to abandon the farm laws.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 28, 2020 06:54 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).