India’s Hazare scraps plans to campaign against Congress

Further to the failings of India's anti-corruption movement, supporters of Anna Hazare announced that the activist would not be traveling to Uttar Pradesh to participate in the campaigning for state elections next month, reports the BBC.

The serial hunger striker, aged 74, was admitted to hospital in Pune due to complications related to chest congestion, the news channel said.

But he could also be suffering from a healthy dose of reality, as Manu Joseph points out in his (somewhat ill-considered) letter to India.  His latest attempted hunger strike didn't generate much support or much hype, and his team's proclamation that they would campaign against the Congress Party in Uttar Pradesh did not go over well.

Not only did its original support stem from a general loathing for politicians and politics as usual, but also opposition parties of every stripe had just finished scuttling the Congress efforts to push through an anti-corruption bill like the one Hazare had demanded.  (It wasn't the same…it wasn't as good…it may not have worked…  But, as they say, it was good enough for government work, it appears.)