Several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders on Wednesday took a sharp dig at Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge for turning down the invitation to attend the consecration ceremony of Ram Janmabhoomi Temple on January 22 saying that it demonstrated the party’s “lack of faith in Lord Ram”.

Union minister Smriti Irani took a jibe at the Gandhis saying that they had no faith in Lord Ram. “I have been told that Sonia Gandhi has turned down the invitation for the January 22 function (in Ayodhya). Could we expect anything different from her? But, I must say that Sonia Gandhi has shown that she has no faith in Lord Ram,” Irani said.

Union minister Anurag Thakur also condemned the grand old party’s decision, saying the people will boycott the opposition party in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

“The behaviour, character and face of the Congress can never change. This is the same Congress, which had given an affidavit calling Shri Ram imaginary. This is the same Congress, which had promised we will build Babri Masjid again at the same place,” Thakur said.

“This is the same Congress, which had raised an army of lawyers to ensure that Ram Lalla’s temple is not built. This is the same Congress, which has been opposing Ram Setu and everything related to Shri Ram,” he added.

Former Jammu and Kashmir deputy chief minister Kavinder Gupta also slammed the Congress and said that the only agenda of the INDI alliance is to defame Sanatan Dharama.

“The only agenda of INDIA alliance is to defame Sanatan (Dharma). The people who have raised questions on the existence of Lord Ram, how will they sit for the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha. They should have accepted the invitation to get rid of their sins,” he said.

Saffron party MP Manoj Tiwari took a jibe at Congress saying that the latter’s anti-Lord Ram face is before the nation and the INDI alliance insulted the Sanatan Dharma again and again.

“Congress party’s anti-Lord Ram face is before the nation. It is no surprise that under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi, the party that had filed an affidavit before the court that Lord Ram is a fictional character, its leadership declined the invitation to the ‘pranpratishtha’ of Ram Temple…Under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and Congress, INDI Alliance has insulted Sanatan Dharma again and again. Now, the declining of the invitation to the ‘pranpratishtha’ by leaders of the INDI Alliance reflects their anti-Sanatan mindset. Those who denied the very existence of Lord Ram and tried their best to delay (construction of) Ayodhya’s temple are also being invited to the Ram Mandir Pran Pratistha. It is a return of ‘Treta Yug’ for me,” he said.

BJP leader Sadanand Gowda said that the Congress has gone completely mad because the blessings of Lord Ram are in favour of the BJP.

“The Congress people have gone completely mad because the blessings of Lord Ram are in favour of the BJP. People across the country have been favouring PM Modi and his work for the last 10 years. This time, the Congress will not even reach more than 50 seats (in Lok Sabha polls) across the country,” he said.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Wednesday “respectfully declined” the invitation to attend the Ram Temple consecration ceremony with the grand old party accusing the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of making it into a “political project” for electoral gain.

Announcing the decision of Congress leaders in a statement, party general secretary Jairam Ramesh also questioned the motive behind the inauguration of the “incomplete” temple by the leaders of the BJP and the RSS.

Meanwhile, the preparations are in full swing for the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla in the newly built Ram Janmabhoomi Temple on January 22.

The Ram Mandir, constructed in the traditional Nagara style, is a three-storied shrine, measuring 380 feet in length (east-west direction), 250 feet in width, and 161 feet in height. It has a total of 392 pillars and 44 doors. It features five Mandaps (halls) — Nritya Mandap, Rang Mandap, Sabha Mandap, Prarthna and Kirtan Mandap.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22. He will perform the rituals in the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram Temple at around 12.15 pm.