Jai Prakash Narayan memorial should come up in Ballia, says

Jai Prakash Narayan's family today welcomed Centre's decision to set up a national memorial for the socialist icon but said it should come up here at his birth place and not in Bihar.
JP's niece Anju Sinha nee Mitra said that Lala ka Tola is the native village of the family in Bihar but if any memorial has to come up at his birthplace it should be at Jai Prakash Nagar here, where Narayan was born.
"Terming Lala ka Tola village of Bihar as the birthplace of Loknayak Jai Prakash Narayan is wrong though it is our native village," she said.

"Just before JP's birth, his mother came to the area in UP which is now called Jai Prakash Nagar as there was an outbreak of plague there (Lala ka Tola)," Sinha said, adding, the socialist leader was born in a room of the building of today's Jai Prakash Narayan Nyas here.
The Union government on June 24 decided to set up a national memorial for Jai Prakash Nayaran in Bihar where assembly polls are likely this September-October.
Ashok Singh, personal secretary of Jai Prakash Narayan Nyas, said at the time of presenting Bharat Ratna to JP, the Centre had collected all information about his birthplace.

It was also mentioned in government documents that Jai Prakash Narayan's birthplace was in Ballia, he said, adding the birth centenary celebrations of JP in 2001 was held in Ballia which was attended by the then Vice President Krishan Kant, PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, L K Advani and Rajnath Singh among others.
Singh claimed the Central Government has taken the decision of building memorial for the socialist leader in Bihar with an eye on the upcoming assembly elections in the state and said it should reconsider it.