Washington, Feb 14: Bobby Jindal, the highest ranking Indian-American in the Bush Administration, stepped down on Thursday as assistant secretary for planning and evaluation in the health department amid expectation that he will run for the governorship of his home state Louisiana.
Jindal, who at 30 is also one of the youngest members in the higher echelons of the government, said in an interview to The Times of India that he had been encouraged to run by the incumbent Governor Mike Foster and he would make a final decision after "thinking it over the next few days."
"It’s been a great privilege to serve this administration, but I think I am ready to explore further opportunities in my home state," Jindal, who was appointed to the position by Bush in March 2001, said.
Jindal’s close friends said he appeared to have made the decision to run and would announce it next week.
If Bobby Jindal does run, he would be the first Indian-American to make a mainstream bid for governorship. Before he was appointed assistant secretary, Jindal was president of the University of Louisiana System, one of America's largest university systems, a post he assumed charge at the age of 27.
"Piyush Jindal is an amazing kid. I’ve known the Jindal family for years and I had predicted a bright political future for him nearly a decade back when he won a Rhodes scholarship. I thought right then he would be a governor or senator some day," said Bhisham Agnihotri, India’s ambassador for NRIs and PIOs who is also from Louisiana and was Dean of the Louisiana State University law school for many years. Piyush is Bobby’s first given Indian name.
Piyush "Bobby" Jindal is the first son of Amar and Raj Jindal, both natives of India who moved from Delhi to Baton Rouge when Raj received a scholarship to Louisiana State University. Born, raised and schooled in Baton Rouge, Jindal subscribes to Christianity, although his parents are still Hindu.
In fact, in a letter to President Bush, he said he felt compelled by his Christian faith to leave the post he has held since 2001. "Just as I believe that God called me to serve my country in your administration; so too I now feel called to return to Louisiana to consider opportunities to serve families in Louisiana more directly," he wrote.
"Bobby Jindal has served the nation, President Bush and HHS well. We will be sorry to see him go, but would welcome the opportunity to work with him again. Louisiana is lucky to have him back," Health Secretary Tommy Thompson said in a statement.
From all accounts, Bobby Jindal has had an astounding academic, professional and political career so far. After attaining a bachelor degree at 20 from LSU, he graduated from Oxford University at 23 with a master's degree in politics as a Rhodes scholar. A year later he was appointed to be Louisiana's secretary of the Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH), forgoing admissions to Harvard and Yale medical and law schools.
At DHH, he helped Louisiana's Medicaid program escape from bankruptcy by turning a $400 million deficit into a surplus. After two years at DHH, he left to serve in Washington, DC as the executive director of the National Bipartisan Medicare Commission, directing a 17-member staff at the age of 26.
He was seen as a rising star in the state Republican Party when Bush nominated him to a federal assistant secretary post that required Senate confirmation. Many Indian-American activists foresaw the ascendancy of his political star from very early on.
"He has wide appeal in Louisiana that goes far beyond ethnic boundaries," says Kapil Sharma, a Washington lobbyist with the firm Madison Government Affairs. "He has the right credentials and he could well become the first Indian-American to win a governorship."
The governor’s race kicks off in October this year with open primaries. The top two vote getters will face-off in a November election. The incumbent governor, Republican Mike Foster, will have to step down because of a two-term limit.
Typically, a gubernatorial election in Louisiana requires a fundraising of up to $ 2 million and Jindal’s prospects also depend on how he drums up financial support.
Bobby Jindal is married to Supriya and they have a daughter, Selia Elizabeth.
Bureau Report
