Little is ordinary about Louisiana's new governor, Piyush "Bobby" Jindal. He's the nation's youngest governor, the first whose parents are from India, and his state's first nonwhite chief executive since Reconstruction. A convert from Hinduism to Catholicism, he likes fast food and rises early – like 3 a.m. – to lift weights.
But all that pales in comparison to the extraordinary task he's promised to undertake: cleaning up a state government widely considered one of the most corruption-prone in America. Perhaps equally extraordinary: Some political observers say he can do it. Governor Jindal was inaugurated here in Baton Rouge Monday amid the booms of a 19-cannon salute and a children's choir singing "The Crawdad Song."
Jindal succeeded Democrat Kathleen Blanco, whose reputation took a beating in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. From the AP:
Blanco attended the inaugural ceremonies with three other former Louisiana governors. The state's only other living ex-governor is Edwin Edwards, who could not attend because he is serving a federal prison sentence on corruption charges. Jindal, a second-term member of Congress when he was elected, said he will call the state Legislature into a special session beginning Feb. 10 to tackle the centerpiece of his campaign: strengthening Louisiana's ethics laws.
The AP article notes that Jindal is not in fact the first Indian to become governor.
The country's first Indian governor was New Jersey's transportation commissioner, Kris Kolluri, who held the post for 24 hours in 2006 when his boss was out of town. New Jersey law requires an acting governor to be appointed when the elected governor is away from the state.
MSNBC paints an optimistic picture, saying he's a "fresh face" and "starting off with a clean slate, and even his detractors seem willing to give him a shot." From "High Hopes for Jindal in Troubled Louisiana":
Jindal's parents immigrated to Louisiana in the early 1970s, settling in Baton Rouge, where the new governor was born. His given name is Piyush, but as a youngster he asked his family to call him "Bobby," picking that up from watching "The Brady Bunch" on television.
Converting in high school from Hinduism to Catholicism, Jindal graduated from Brown University and studied as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford. A fast-rising political star, he served in the Bush administration in the Department of Health and Human Services and then as a congressman from the first district of Louisiana.
Elected to the governor's mansion with 54 percent of the vote last November (his closest competitor had 17 percent) Jindal takes over at an extremely dire time in the state’s history.
Among the various Indian outlets that covered this was NDTV, which had this very inappropriately titled article, "Indian diaspora celebrates Jindal's success," a report almost entirely filled by criticism.
''There was a big problem especially after 9-11 in the Indian and South Asian community with regard to hate crimes but Mr Jindal has opposed hate crime statues. He suggests that there should just be a criminal penalty for such crimes despite the fact that racism forms the commission of these crimes,'' said Chandra Bhatnagar, a Human Rights Attorney who has worked with victims of Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana. ''He is really at the extreme end of the Republican spectrum and has taken positions that have consistently been antithetical to the interest of the south Asian community,'' he added.
A thought echoed on the campus of the Louisiana State University. Last month, two Indian students were found murdered on campus just a stone's throw away from the incoming Governor's transition offices. But there was not even a word of condolence from the Governor elect. ''The Governor's office did not release even a statement. It was the basic we expected from the Governor's office,'' said Phani Mylavarapu, Former President, Indian Student Assoc, Louisiana State University.
See our earlier coverage of Bobby Jindal, including his election. Post your comments below.
