Sonia Gandhi was involved in a brief exchange with Smriti Irani in the Lok Sabha on Thursday when the Union minister allegedly walked over and interrupted her conversation with another woman BJP member, prompting verbal battles between the Congress and the ruling party inside and outside Parliament.

Congress leaders alleged that Irani had created a scene in the House to insult Sonia purely out of personal frustration, having been rattled by allegations that her daughter runs a bar-cum-restaurant in Goa with a licence obtained fraudulently in a dead man’s name.

Congress MPs present in the House said Irani had rushed towards Sonia while she was talking to BJP member Rama Devi and tried to cut in.

They said Sonia told her “I don’t want to talk to you”, to which Irani allegedly shot back “How can you talk to me like this?” and accused her of “intimidating” her.

The situation turned tense with some BJP members rushing towards Sonia and MPs from the Congress and other Opposition parties coming to her aid. A heated exchange broke out between the two sides before seniors intervened and averted a showdown, MPs present there said.

The Congress president had approached Rama Devi to ask why she (Sonia) was being targeted after BJP members aggressively demanded an apology from her over Congress Lok Sabha leader Adhir Chowdhury referring to President Droupadi Murmu as “Rashtrapatni” on Wednesday.

Irani had accused Sonia of sanctioning a sexist remark against a tribal woman elevated as President by the Narendra Modi government while other BJP members, mostly the women, kept up a chorus of “Sonia Gandhi maafi mango”.

Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh accused Irani and other BJP members of misbehaving with Sonia and using “insulting expressions”, while party social media head and spokesperson Supriya Shrinate accused the minister of trying to heckle a 75-year-old.

“Being a minister, you tried to heckle and intimidate a 75-year-old woman leader along with your party colleagues. You lowered the dignity of Parliament. Sonia Gandhi’s grace is known to the country; you exposed your own character through your words and gestures,” Shrinate said.

“We know you are rattled and are behaving in this vulgar manner in frustration. But you will have to answer questions about the illegal restaurant and bar where the licence was taken in a dead man’s name. You can’t silence us through these gimmicks.”

“As far as your concern for women’s dignity is concerned, where were you when a rape victim was forcibly cremated by the police without her family’s consent in Hathras (in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh)? Why didn’t you utter a word when your party MLA raped a girl and attacked her family members in Unnao?”

But the BJP blamed Sonia for the incident. “Some of our Lok Sabha MPs felt threatened when Sonia Gandhi came up to our senior leader Rama Devi,” finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters.

“When one of our members approached there (where Sonia was talking to Rama Devi) she (Sonia) said: ‘You don’t talk to me’. So, instead of remorse from the highest leader of the Congress, we find greater aggression.”

Ramesh issued a statement saying: “Smriti Irani today misbehaved with Sonia Gandhi and used insulting expressions. Sonia was talking to a BJP member Rama Devi. Irani intervened, while other BJP members surrounded her, and started insulting her.

“When Sonia asked her politely not to talk to her, Irani shouted back, ‘You don’t know me, who I am’. Several members of other parties are witness to this incident.”

Several members from other parties vindicated the Congress version.

Trinamul’s Mahua Moitra, who had intervened to help prevent the situation turning uglier, tweeted: “Was in Lok Sabha when 75-year-old lady senior leader encircled and heckled pack-wolf style when all she did was walk over and speak (masked) to another senior lady panel chairperson (Rama Devi). Disgusted to read BJP lies and false version in press.”

NCP member and Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule tweeted: “Unfortunate scenes were witnessed in Lok Sabha today. Was shocked to hear unnecessary sloganeering against Mrs Gandhi after the House was adjourned. We all should take responsibility of the House and maintain its dignity and decorum.”

Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha member Priyanka Chaturvedi tweeted: “Just read: Intermittent explosive disorder (IED) is a mental health condition marked by frequent impulsive anger outbursts or aggression. The episodes are out of proportion to the situation that triggered them. PS: No relation with what was spoken by a minister today.”

Congress member Jyotsna Mahant, who was present at the spot, said: “After the House got adjourned, Soniaji walked up to some women members of the BJP to talk. We also followed her. Smriti Irani suddenly appeared and started shouting, making angry gestures. Some words were spoken that were beneath parliamentary dignity. We are shocked that a woman member can behave like this with a senior leader. It was shameful. We won’t tolerate it. Irani has to apologise.”

Gaurav Gogoi said: “BJP responded reprehensibly to Sonia’s decent gesture. Their gestures and words were extremely objectionable.”

He tweeted: “I thank other Opposition MPs... in safely escorting Smt. Sonia Gandhi from the group of BJP MPs who had surrounded her and were threatening her safety.”

Responding to Gogoi’s tweet, Chaturvedi posted: “This is shameful and bully behaviour of BJP MPs. Has to be condemned by one and all, this hooliganism was led by a hysterical minister who herself is facing charges of illegal operations in Goa, besides fake education affidavits, should be called out.”

Additional reporting by J.P. Yadav