Daulatpur (Uttar Pradesh), Jan 27 (IANS) The foundation laying for a girls' college named after Bollywood glamour queen Aishwarya Rai was just another event for some political leaders who urged her megastar father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan to lead "a social movement".Bachchan's friend, philosopher and guide Amar Singh, the Samajwadi Party general secretary, made the arrangements for the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Shrimati Aishwarya Bachchan Kanya Mahavidyalaya in this village of Barabanki district, about 40 km from Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow.

He also ensured the presence of four prominent leaders who had been chief ministers in their respective states and who have been exploring the possibility of a "third front" of parties aligned neither with the Congress nor with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

While former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah were more discreet in their speeches, Haryana strongman Om Prakash Chautala did not mince words in declaring, "Our ultimate goal should be to ride on to power in Delhi, about which our friend Amar Singh has been making untiring efforts."

Naidu laid greater emphasis on the need for someone like Bachchan to "start a movement for social change".

Bachchan, however, clarified: "I am not prepared to lead any movement, but I would not mind becoming a part of any such movement."

Still, Amar Singh in his speech told Bachchan: "You ought to realise your own potential to win the hearts of the people. You have motivated people to donate blood, your campaign has prompted many to realise the necessity of polio drops for children.

"Even Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav agrees with Naidu's suggestion that you must lead a movement, and I would want you to speak your mind on this today."

Yadav, three-time Uttar Pradesh chief minister, echoed Singh's advice for Bachchan and also underlined the need for reinforcement and reassertion of a 'third front'.

He alleged the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) government in the state was out to persecute leaders and activists of the Samajwadi Party.

He blamed Chief Minister Mayawati for continued harassment of Samajwadi Party leaders, including his younger brother and once powerful minister Shivpal Yadav. He also trained his guns at both the central and state governments for the plight of farmers in the state.

In a bid to strike a closer rapport with Naidu, Yadav said: "I have promised to speak to Naidu in English and in turn he has assured to brush up his Hindi." And pat came the response from Naidu who rose to address the crowd in Hindi.

Abdullah chose to concentrate on the neglect of the girl child and on the need to fight social prejudices. Praising the Bachchans for building an educational institution for girls, he urged Aishwarya to be in touch with it in future too.

Aishwarya's mother-in-law Jaya Bachchan, herself an accomplished actress, also urged the star to "make it a point to pay more visits to Daulatpur in order to ensure a bright future for the school".

Actress-turned-MP Jayaprada of the Samajwadi Party said the institution would be managed by the Nishtha Foundation, run by her. "Though we propose to start it as an intermediate college, we hope to expand it into a degree college in days to come," she added.