By Praveen Dwivedi

Bhopal, Jun 24 (IANS): To sink differences and develop bonhomie among the party workers, the BJP has started 'tiffin diplomacy in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh.

Taking cue from BJP national president J. P. Nadda who held a "tiffin meeting" with party workers in Noida recently, Madhya Pradesh BJP unit head V. D. Sharma recently held "tiffin diplomacy" in his Lok Sabha constituency Khajuraho and has decided to take the concept among block and booth level party workers.

"BJP president J. P. Nadda has kick-started it in Noida, and I have also done it in Khajuraho. The concept is very fruitful and now I have decided to make it a statewide campaign in Madhya Pradesh. Party workers will carry their tiffin and will share food during the meeting. We have planed to involve local citizens also to create a friendly environment," Sharma told IANS.

Using the concept of "tiffin diplomacy" is also need of hour for the BJP at a time when the assembly elections are five months away and dissidence within its cadre has gone wider in the last few years.

In the past few months, many stances were witnessed when the BJP's district, block and booth level workers have expressed their disappointment on various grounds.

In some places, differences between workers and party's senior leaders have widened to such an extent that state leadership has to take some concrete steps to control the situation.

In one such step, around a dozen BJP leaders were tasked to visit local workers and prepare a list of party's workers properly mentioning reason behind their differences with their seniors.

Replying to growing dissidence in the state BJP unit, Sharma said, "Differences are of ideas and not against the party. We need to hear them all and convince that their role is equally important. Therefore, I have decided to take this tiffin concept to all 230 assembly seats in coming days and believe that people will also support it."