Washington: South Carolina`s Indian-American governor Nikki Haley, billed as a rising star in the Republican party, says she has no plans to run for US Vice President as a running mate of the presumptive Presidential nominee Mitt Romney.
"I would say thank you. But no thank you," Haley told reporters to a question, what would be her response if Romney made such a proposal.
Haley`s name is doing the round along with another American-Indian Bobby Jindal, Governor of Louisiana, as possible running mates of Romney.
"The people of South Carolina took a chance on me, and I intend to do the job they hired me to do, and continue to deliver results to the people," she said, indicating that she would decline any offer to run for the second highest Constitutional post in the US. In a wide ranging interview, Haley, 40, came across as an Indian-American who pins for the home of her ancestors and who held Mahatma Gandhi in great admiration.
Haley, who created waves last year by becoming the first Indian-American woman governor, wants to come to India, to boost investments by Indian companies in her state of South Carolina. She said she has not been to her country of origin since she was a young girl. She has just penned a book `Can`t is Not An Option` and in the interview she urged the strong Indian American community to "get involved" in country`s mainstream politics.
"Anyone who reads my book will see that I love leaders like Mahatma Gandhi who encourage people, as I always do, to find the power of their voice," Haley said, when asked if Gandhi was still relevant today.
PTI