Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the work of the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday as he laid the foundation stone of Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh University in Aligarh.

Calling it a "big day for Aligarh and West Uttar Pradesh", Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his speech by remembering late BJP leader and former UP chief minister Kalyan Singh, who passed away last month.

"The occasion of Radha Ashtami today makes it more holy. I am missing former CM Kalyan Singh's presence today. He would've been very happy with the development of Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh University," PM Modi said.

"Many of the national icons, whose contributions towards the nation have been immense, were ignored and forgotten over the decades since independence by previous governments. But today, be it Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh ji or Suhel Dev ji, or many others, are being given the importance they truly deserve," PM Modi further said.

The university will set up over 92 acres in Lodha and Musepur Kareem Jarouli villages of Aligarh's Kol tehsil and will provide affiliation to 395 colleges of the Aligarh division.