As the fracas over the codeine cough syrup racket intensified in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Monday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took a dig at the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress.
In a veiled reference to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, the CM said: “Desh ke andar do namune hain, ek Dilli mein aur ek Lucknow mein baithe hain. Jab desh mein koi charcha hoti hai to desh chorke chale jaate hain. Yahi aapke Babua ke saath hua hoga. (There are two examples in the country, one sitting in Delhi and another in Lucknow. Whenever a serious discussion takes place in the country, they leave the country. Something must be happening to you, Babua)”.
Pointing towards the SP leaders, he said their leader would soon leave the country for “England” and they would be left shouting alone.
Leader of Opposition, SP veteran Mata Prasad Pandey, raised strong objections to the “language” used by the Chief Minister and said, “Unki wani unke anuroop nahi (His words are not appropriate to his stature).”
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna said the CM did not name anyone.
However, SP MLAs tried to move into the Well of the House but, following the LoP’s direction, staged a walkout from the Assembly.
Earlier in the day, the Opposition had raised slogans and demanded a debate on the cough syrup issue, which the Speaker said would be taken up.
During Question Hour, SP MLA Atul Pradhan brought up the issue again and asked if the government would take action against the accused in the case. “Yeh vyapar, yeh brahstachar ki jaren satta sanrakshit logon ke paas hain (This business and the deep-rooted corruption lie in the hands of those protected by the government),” he alleged.
He further questioned, “I want to ask the government if they would take action under the NDPS Act like it is being done in our neighbouring state”
Replying to the SP, Adityanath said, “Firstly, there has been no death in Uttar Pradesh because of the codeine syrup. Secondly, UP has won the case in court that action would be taken under NDPS law. Thirdly, the biggest wholesaler, caught by the STF [Special Task Force] in this case, was given a license by the Samajwadi Party in 2016.”
He also said action was taken by the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA). He further clarified that in Uttar Pradesh, there are only stockists and wholesalers and that production of codeine syrup does not take place in the state. He said incidents of deaths occurred in other states because of syrup made in Tamil Nadu.
“This is not a case of adulteration but that of a diversion, under which wholesalers from Ghaziabad, Saharanpur, Varanasi, Lucknow and Kanpur have sent it to states for its misuse without any medical advice. You do not study and merely shout,” said Adityanath.
Informing the House about the action taken in the case so far, he said 79 cases have been registered, naming 225 people, and 78 people have been arrested. Action has also been taken against 134 firms found involved in the racket.
He once again reiterated his earlier allegations of Samawadi Party leaders and their links to mafia, including this case. “If you go into the case, then… [the role of] people associated with the Samajwadi Party comes out. In the case, illegal transactions have been done through the account of an office bearer of the Lohia Vanihi [a wing of the Samajwadi Party catering to the youth] and the STF is looking into it,” claimed Adityanath.
He also told the House that while action would be taken under NDPS against the accused, they would also “face bulldozer action”. “Iss mamle mein koi bhi apradhi choott nahi payega, aur samay aane par bulldozer karyawahi bhi chalegi. (In this case, no criminal will be allowed to go free, and when the time comes, bulldozer action will also be taken),” said Adityanath.