Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday wrote to BJP president J.P. Nadda to express concern over the railways’ continued suspension of goods trains services to the state, pointing out that this would have dangerous consequences for national security.

In an open letter, Amarinder said although the farmers protesting against farm laws brought by the Narendra Modi government had eased their rail roko agitation, freight services remained suspended. The chief minister had appealed to railway minister Piyush Goyal to resume the services.

The situation could become extremely dangerous for the country if the armed forces are deprived of critical supplies amid increased aggression from both China and Pakistan, the chief minister said. With the onset of winter, the armed forces could run out of supplies once snowfall blocks the roads to Ladakh and the Kashmir Valley.

“These are dangers that neither the central government nor any political party, including the BJP, can choose to ignore,” Amarinder said. “We need to all liaise together, with the common goal of solving the contentious issue, in the interest of the country.”

Punjab too could become more vulnerable to security threats from Pakistan if the farmers’ crisis is not resolved at the earliest, he warned, noting that ISI-backed terror groups were perpetually looking at exploiting any unrest in the border state.

Amarinder stressed that this was a time to rise above partisan politics and respond as statesmen to a situation that threatened to spiral out of control. Nadda, as head of the party ruling at the Centre, could take the lead, he said.

The chief minister criticised the comments of some BJP leaders, specifically national general secretary Tarun Chugh and Punjab BJP president Ashwani Sharma, who had accused the government of colluding with “Naxal forces”. It was reprehensible to term farmers’ Naxals, he said.