Congress Meets Bihar Leaders Amidst Defection Rumours, Denies MLA Exodus

• Congress held a brainstorming session with its Bihar leaders in New Delhi.
• The meeting was convened by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence.
• Rahul Gandhi, K.C. Venugopal, Meira Kumar, and newly-elected Bihar MLAs were present.
• AICC general secretary K.C. Venugopal denied rumours of MLAs deserting the party, calling them baseless.
• Independent MP Pappu Yadav also attended the meeting after an initial misunderstanding.

Why It Matters: Congress leadership met Bihar MLAs to quash defection rumours, asserting party unity.