Trinamool Congress (TMC) parliamentarian Mahua Moitra on Thursday deposed before the Lok Sabha’s ethics committee in connection with cash-for-query allegations against her, but walked out of the dramatic hearing midway alongside five other Opposition members of the panel, alleging that the chairperson was unethical and asked her “filthy” and “personal” questions.

Later, she wrote to Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, alleging that she was subjected to “vastraharan” (disrobing) by him in the presence of panel members

The panel chair – Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member Vinod Sonkar – hit back, alleging that the Krishnanagar lawmaker was using anger to deflect legitimate questions, and used unparliamentary language against the panel and the chair.

“The aim of the probe was to ascertain the facts related to the allegations of the unethical conducts of Mahua Moitra. Instead of cooperating with the committee, she became angry and used unparliamentary words against the panel and the chairman,” he said.

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Moitra is facing serious allegations that she accepted money and favours to ask questions in Parliament, and gave her password and login to businessman Darshan Hiranandani, who has corroborated the charges. If found guilty, she could be disqualified from the Lok Sabha.

The TMC leader has rejected the charges and said she was open to any investigation.

Moitra appeared before the committee at 11am and attempted to defend herself. But high drama ensued when the panel reassembled after lunch.

“Is this an ethics committee? Asking all the filthy questions?” a visibly upset Moitra asked, as she stormed out of the meeting, accompanied by some Opposition members.

Moitra later wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. “I write to you in great anguish today to update you on the unethical, sordid, and prejudiced behaviour meted out to me at the hearing of the ethics committee by the chairman. I have been subjected to the proverbial vastraharan (disrobing) by him in the presence of all members of the committee,” she said.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) lawmaker Danish Ali, who was among the MPs who walked out, alleged that the panel asked unethical questions. “Draupadi has been disrobed. We walked out because Moitra was asked who she speaks to at night. This is too much,” he said.

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Congress leader Uttam Kumar Reddy and Janata Dal (United) member Giridhari Yadav also said they walked over “personal questions” being asked.

Sonkar hit back and said Moitra tried to save herself by resorting to anger and outrage. He insisted that “only pertinent questions” related to Hiranandani’s affidavit, in which he said he gave expensive gifts to Moitra and directly posted question in Parliament on her behalf, were asked.

“The aim of the probe was to ascertain the facts related to the allegations of the unethical conducts of Mahua Moitra. Instead of cooperating with the committee, she became angry and used unparliamentary words against the panel and the chairman. The other members such as Danish Ali, Uttam Reddy and Giridhari Yadav tried to accuse the committee and walked out,” said Sonkar.

Ali, Reddy, Yadav, Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader PR Natarajan and Congress leader V Vaithilingam walked out of the meeting. Another Opposition member, Congress leader Preneet Kaur, left earlier due to a family emergency.

The 15-member panel – which comprises seven members from the BJP and six from the Opposition – will now meet soon to prepare its report.

The row began after BJP lawmaker Nishikant Dubey wrote to Birla two weeks ago on the basis of a complaint by lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai, who alleged Moitra accepted money and favours to ask questions in Parliament. Moitra is accused of giving direct access to Hiranandani to post questions on the Lok Sabha portal on her behalf and receiving expensive gifts from the businessman who also allegedly underwrote her bungalow renovations and paid for her foreign trips.

Moitra has denied the charges that she received gifts, and has asked other parliamentarians if they never shared their passwords.

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The panel earlier heard from Dubey and Dehadrai, and received Hiranandani’s affidavit.

On Thursday, Moitra’s initial remarks went on for an hour when she described her relationship with Dehadrai and said the allegations were due to a personal animus by the lawyer.

But trouble began when her cross examination started after lunch. She was asked how many times she allegedly called Hiranandani, if she had a list of gifts she allegedly received from the businessman, how many times she allegedly went to Dubai (where Hiranandani lives) and where she stayed in Dubai, said people aware of developments.

Moitra replied that the car and driver were provided by Hiranandani in Dubai, but soon after, lost her cool and left, along with five other Opposition MPs.

Some BJP members alleged Moitra abused the chairman.

BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi, one of the three women on the panel, lashed out at Moitra. “The proceedings of the parliamentary standing committee are confidential. They (the Opposition and Moitra) all came out and they all said things about the committee, about the goings on within the committee, it was wrong. She should not have done that. These things are very confidential,” she said.

Dubey also alleged that Moitra tried to peddle the wrong narrative and said the panel’s confidential proceedings should not be revealed outside.

“You asked 61 questions. And 50 of these were to allegedly help Darshan Hiranandani. According to reports in the media, as many as 47 times, questions were asked from Darshan Hirananadani’s office in Dubai….won’t the ethics committee ask (her) about it…if these kind of questions are asked, does it become personal?” he asked.

In her letter to Birla, Moitra said that the ethics panel had “no ethics and morality left” and added that instead of asking questions pertinent to the subject, the chairman exhibited a “preconceived bias”.

The TMC – which had earlier said it will decide on a course of action later – defended Moitra. “The ethics committee functioned in the most unethical and immoral way by asking personal and unethical questions to a woman MP. She was asked filthy questions, and the panel seemed to relish the insult meted out to her,” West Bengal minister Shashi Panja told news agency PTI.

Before Moitra was called for her deposition, the panel members discussed the reports of the information technology, home affairs and external affairs ministries, said the people cited above.