New DELHI: While protesting farmers are planning to intensify their protest, the Centre on Sunday decided to set up a high-powered committee to look into several farm issues, including minimum support price (MSP) based on comprehensive cost.

Meanwhile, the Centre, which hoped to invite the farmers for fresh talks, received a setback when the farmers announced that they will hold talks with the government only after those who were arrested during tractor rally are released.

Rakesh Tikait, National Spokesperson of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), said that the Centre should release the arrested farmers and asserted that there will be no agreement “under pressure”. “There won't be any agreement under pressure. We will hold discussions on the issue, Prime Minister is ours also, we are thankful for his initiative, we will respect it. We want our people to be released,” he said.

The decision to set up the committee, headed by Tomar, was hurriedly taken in order to prevent Hazare from going on his scheduled fast. Hazare had, in solidarity with the farmers agitating for the repeal of farm laws, announced his fast would begin from Saturday. He, however, late on Friday called it off after the Centre rushed minister of state for agriculture Kailash Choudhary and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis to his village Ralegan Siddhi and assured him of setting up a panel to look into his demands.

It is learnt that the committee would comprise Niti Aayog member Ramesh Chand, MoS agriculture Parshottam Rupala, Agri-trade law and policy expert Vijay Sardana, a progressive farmer from Haryana and Padma Shri awardee Kanwal Singh Chauhan and farmer representatives.