New Delhi/IBNS: Rahul Gandhi met veteran politician and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Yadav over dinner on Friday, hours after the Supreme Court stayed the conviction of the Congress leader in the "Modi surname" defamation case.

Following a public photo session, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief was seen giving a bouquet of pastel flowers to Gandhi after which both went in for a dinner with mutton specially from Champaran cooked by the RJD chief himself.

The leaders met at RJD MP Misa Bharti's Delhi residence, where Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav was also present.

The meeting is seen to be significant as the newly formed opposition bloc INDIA is set to meet in Mumbai later this month.

Even as Rahul Gandhi and Lalu Yadav discussed politics at length, the two also spent quite some time in small talk and enjoying their meal, people familiar with the matter said.

Lalu Yadav arranged for desi mutton and spices to be brought from Bihar for the occasion and showed the Congress leader how mutton is cooked in Bihar's special style, media reports said.

The Supreme Court earlier in the day stayed the Gujarat High Court order, which had upheld the conviction of Rahul Gandhi for defamation over his "Modi surname" remark in 2019.

The Supreme Court's big relief to Rahul Gandhi has paved the way for his re-entry into Parliament.