Union minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday criticised former Congress president Sonia Gandhi for turning down the invitation to attend the Ram Temple consecration ceremony, claiming that it demonstrated her "lack of faith in Lord Ram".

Irani made the remark at the Bihar BJP headquarters here, while concluding her address during a "media workshop" held by the party, in a bid to spruce up its communication network ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

"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?” the Union Minister for Minority Affairs said.

“… But, I must say that Sonia Gandhi has shown that she has no faith in Lord Ram,” Irani said.

As per a Congress statement, Gandhi, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and its leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have "respectfully declined" the invitation, asserting that religion was a "personal matter".

Irani added that “we are fortunate to have, in Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a leader who is equally devoted to the temple of democracy and the temple of Ram".

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