BOBBY JINDAL IS MAKING A BID TO BE GOVERNOR of Louisiana. He is the first American of Indian origins to run for a governor’s post. Finally, here is someone who is running for a senior position in American society, as an American—and not as an American Indian, espousing our community causes. Jindal is the example of an American showing concern about issues pertaining to this country.

Whether Jindal wins the October polls or not, his candidacy is still a big win for Indian-Americans, in much the same way Jesse Jackson’s failed race for presidency helped the cause of African-Americans. Jackson’s 1984 and 1988 attempts directly resulted in increased voter registration and saw a record number of African-Americans elected to public offices. Another corollary was that both parties had to make adjustments in their agenda to address minority issues.

Ethnic minorities are under-represented in politics. While 3% of the U.S. population is Asian American, they account for just 1% of the members of Congress. In contrast, African-Americans—who represent nearly 13% of the population—account for 7% of the Congressional members.

Over the years, there has been a significant increase in political activism by Indian Americans. I remember in the 80s there were no Indian Americans working in Congress or running for political office. By those standards, we have made tremendous progress in the political scene over the last two decades. Last November 17, Indian Americans ran for State Assemblies and State Senates. Only three, though, could make it.

Though we lost more than we won, the fact that Indian Americans were actively considering politics showed they cared enough about this country to give it their time. I believe the more aggressively we take part in American politics, the more we will be taken seriously as individuals and as a community. Despite these accomplishments, the expatriate Indian community continues to find itself in the position of having immense “potential” for political success but unable to convert the potential into significant results. Why?

Last year five senators, all Democrats—Harry Reid of Nevada, Ron Wyden of Oregon, Jon Corzine of New Jersey, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan and Tom Carper of Delaware—were in the San Francisco Bay Area to raise funds for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. About 40 members of the Indian American community met informally with the five U.S. Senators at Swagat Restaurant in Mountain View. Surprisingly, the India representatives raised issues pertaining to immigration, Kashmir and Indo-U.S relations. This really surprised me.

The way I see it, by being clannish and quibbling over minor issues, we run the risk of losing sight of the bigger picture. No doubt we are Indians by birth, but being Indian is not the only identity we have. We live in America. Our kids are American born.

I remember the days of 2000 when Satveer Chaudhary was campaigning in Minnesota. He sent out the right message to the voters: “I am a politician for everyone and not just Indian Americans.” In a constituency that has only about 16,000 people of Indian origin, his active involvement in larger social issues is what has endeared him to the community at large. He went on to become the second Indian American to be elected to a state Senate in the United States.

A journalist once asked Chaudhary, “Why has the Indian community in the U.S. failed to project the Indian point of view correctly?” He promptly replied, “I do not agree with the suggestion that it is the job of Indians living in the U.S. to act as spokespersons for the Indian government. That is the Government of India’s job.”

We hate it if someone treats us differently because we are Indian. We insist on being treated equal. Then why do we concentrate only on issues relating to our community when we enter politics? By being clannish, not only are we ignoring our adopted country but doing our motherland a great disservice. By integrating with our adopted country, we pass on the message that Indian Americans are finally ready—ready to fulfill their destiny and the destiny of their country as the world’s most powerful nation. This will—in no small measure—help Americans grow closer with India, a joining of ranks by the world’s two greatest democracies. But all this will remain just a pipe dream if we insist on following our own myopic agendas. And the dream of widespread political success will remain just that—a dream.