Jindal to respond to Obama's State of the Union speech

Indian-American Governor of Louisiana Bobby Jindal will deliver the Republican party's reply to US President Barack Obama's maiden State of the Union Address at the Congress on February 24.

The Republican leadership in the Congress tapped Jindal -- seen as the fast emerging national leader of the party -- a day after the White House announced that Obama would deliver his maiden State of the Union Address as President at the American Congress on February 24.

The 37-year-old Republican was invited by House Minority Leader John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday and assigned to deliver the party's response.

Jindal would make his address from Louisiana.

"Governor Jindal embodies what I have long said: the Republican Party must not be simply the party of 'opposition', but the party of better solutions," Boehner said in a statement.

"Jindal's stewardship of the state of Louisiana, dedication to reforming government and commitment to bringing forth new and innovative ideas make him a leader not just within the Republican Party but the entire nation," Boehner said.

McConnell said Jindal was "an excellent choice" to deliver the party's response to Obama's speech on February 24.

Jindal is the first Indian American to have been elected as the Governor of a US State.

Earlier, he was elected to the House of Representative twice, making him only the second Indian American to have been a member of the House, after Dalip Singh Saund in late 1950s and early 1960s.