Washington: The son of immigrant parents from India, two-term Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal believes that people coming to the US should learn English and adopt American values.
In a video advertisement, launched by his super political action committee, 44-year-old Jindal is first shown stating he is tired of hyphenated Americans, as he referred to labels such as Indian-Americans, African-Americans and Asian-Americans.
"I think our immigration system is broken. If folks want to immigrate to America, they should do so legally. They should adopt our values. They should learn English. And they should roll up their sleeves and get to work," Jindal said.
Jindal's parents immigrated to the US early 70s. He was born in Baton Rouge in 1971.
He is the first Indian-American ever to enter the race of US presidential elections. He is the first Indian-American to have been elected as a governor of a US state. Jindal the the-vice chairman of the powerful Republican Governors Association.
The 30-second video is the first advertisement of the campaign 'Believe Again' after Jindal announced his presidential bid last week. In the commercial now showing in Iowa, a young Jindal is shown with his father.
"Jindal is positioning himself as the most ideologically-pure conservative governor in the GOP (Grand Old Party) field, and he hopes that immigration will help him make headway in the polls," The Washington Post reported.
Despite his announcement last week, Jindal's popularity rating is in single digit and he is not in the top 10 Republican presidential hopefuls.
"A TV buy, even though it is only in Iowa, could increase his name recognition in the state and help him earn more national coverage," the daily said.
Jindal's announcement to run for the post of US president has failed to generate much enthusiasm among the Indian-Americans as say he trying to distance himself from his Indian heritage.
