The Hindu : Front Page : Bobby Jindal faces tough tasks ahead

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Monday, Oct 22, 2007
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Bobby Jindal faces tough tasks ahead

He is the youngest person to hold the post of Governor in the U.S. ; defeats opponents impressively

— Photo: AP

Time to rejoice: Louisiana Governor-elect Bobby Jindal, his wife Supriya and son Shaan Robert, acknowledge supporters at the party headquarters in Baton Rouge, Los Angeles, on Saturday.

New York: Bobby Jindal, an Oxford-educated son of Punjabi immigrants who scripted history by winning the Louisiana Governor race, faces daunting challenges ahead when he takes over one of the poorest and low-literacy level States of the United States from incumbent Kathleen Blanco.

Born on June 10, 1971 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Republican Jindal, a rising star of President George W. Bush’s party, impressively defeated his opponents in the Gubernatorial poll in a State that usually picks its leaders from deep in the rural hinterland and has not had a non-white head since the reconstruction era.

Mr. Jindal, who was twice elected to two-year term each for Congress from Louisiana’s First Congressional District based in the suburbs of New Orleans, is currently a member of the House of Representatives and would retain the post till January next when he assumes the charge as Governor in January, the youngest person to hold the post in the country.

Devastation by hurricanes

He faces significant challenges as the Chief Executive of Louisiana, a State, which was devastated by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Ms. Blanco faced severe criticism for her handling of the situation in the aftermath of the hurricanes.

Mr. Jindal, who was born a Hindu but converted to Catholicism, attended high school at Baton Rouge Magnet High School. In 1991, he graduated from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, with honours in Biology and Public Policy. Afterwards, he received a master’s degree in political science from New College, Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.

Mr. Jindal is the second Indian-American to serve in Congress after Dalip Singh Saund, a Democrat who represented California’s 29th district from 1957 to 1963.

He was chosen by Scholastic Update magazine as “one of America’s top 10 extraordinary young people for the next millennium.”

In 1997, he married Supriya Jolly and the couple has three children — Celia, Shaan, and Slade.

While running for the top State post, Mr. Jindal did not have the support of a majority of Blacks, about a third of the population, who usually vote for Democrats.

Hurdle overcome

Yet Mr. Jindal, with his decisive victory, appears to have overcome a significant racial hurdle that blocked him in 2003.

He made a particular campaign target of conservative northern and eastern parishes of Louisiana by visiting them frequently and bringing his brand of devout Christianity to their rural churches.

His social-conservative message teaching “intelligent design” as an alternative to evolution in public schools and total ban on abortion would have been welcome in these areas.

Mr. Jindal campaigned as a cautious reformer, promising a more ethical government, with greater transparency from lobbyists and legislators. — PTI

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