CHANDIGARH: Three Union ministers began their third round of talks with the leaders of protesting farmer unions in Chandigarh Thursday evening, amid a standoff between the protesters and security personnel at two points on the Punjab-Haryana border.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also joined the meeting at the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration in Sector 26.

Union Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Minister Arjun Munda, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai are representing the central government in the meeting over farmer unions’ various demands, including a law guaranteeing Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops.

This will be the third round of talks between the two sides -- the previous two rounds of dialogue on February 8 and 12 remained inconclusive.

Among the farmer leaders taking part in the meeting are SKM (Non-Political) leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have given the ‘Delhi Chalo’ call to press the Centre to accept their demands.

Earlier, the farmer leaders had said they would not make any fresh attempt to move towards the national capital till the meeting with ministers was held, asserting that the next course of action would be decided on the basis of the Centre’s proposals.