Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said seers and religious orders in the country can play a critical role in making India modern and prosperous, reported PTI. He was in Gorakhpur to unveil a statue of Mahant Avaidyanath, the guru of Bharatiya Janata Party legislator Yogi Adityanath.

“It is the demand of the time that lakhs of saints, thousands of orders and hundreds of mathas [monastic establishments] can play a critical role in making India modern and prosperous, in cultivating good values among its people. Many are doing that. It is a good force for the country’s future,” Modi said. Avaidyanath was one of the prominent right-wing leaders who campaigned for the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, where Babri Masjid stood. He died in 2014.

On Twitter, Modi said, “My association with Mahant Avaidyanath ji goes back to the time when I was not in active politics. Heard from him the work done here.” He said the saints and seers in the country are very noble and they have been compassionate towards society and the poor. The event was attended by Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar.