Jindal to respond to Obama’s first State of Union address

The Republicans, vanquished in the 2008 presidential polls, has entrusted the once little-known Congressman with key task of delivering the party’s televised response to Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress.

Thrust into the spotlight as a Republican rising star, Louisiana’s Indian-American Governor Bobby Jindal is set to deliver the party’s response to the first State of the Union address by President Barack Obama in what could be a defining moment in his political career.

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The Republicans, vanquished in the 2008 presidential polls, has entrusted the once little-known Congressman with key task of delivering the party’s televised response to Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress.

The first-term charismatic Governor is a rising star in the Republican party, who is increasingly popping up on talk shows and at events outside his state. That is leading to speculation that Jindal, 37, is being urged to run for the presidency, US media reported ahead of his speech tonight.

On Sunday, Jindal, once touted as a front-runner on Senator John McCain’s shortlist of running mates, appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press, plotting a future for the national party.

“Look, our Republican party got fired ... We became the party that defended spending, corruption that we never should’ve tolerated, and we stopped offering relevant solutions to the problems that Americans care about,” he said.

“I think now is the time and it’s a great opportunity for Republican Governors and other leaders to offer conservative-based solutions to the problems.”