Congress seeks judicial probe into multi-crore 'cough syrup scam' in UP

New Delhi, Dec 24 (PTI) The Congress on Wednesday demanded a court-monitored judicial probe into the alleged multi-crore drug scam of large-scale production and supply of codeine-based cough syrup used as an addiction drug across UP, Bihar, Bengal and Nepal.

The Congress also demanded the resignation of Union Health Minister J P Nadda and Madhya Pradesh health minister over the deaths of children after allegedly consuming another spurious cough syrup.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, Congress spokesperson and chairperson of the social media department, Supriya Shrinate, along with national media panelist Sadhna Bharti, questioned the "silence" of the Uttar Pradesh and the central governments in the matter.

Shrinate claimed that the kingpin of the "codeine scam", who hails from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary constituency Varanasi, was closely associated with a senior JDU leader, an alliance partner of the BJP.

She also asked how they were allowed to flee the country or were made to flee.

Shrinate alleged that the codeine supply had created havoc and destroyed the lives of tens of thousands of youths across different states in the country. She further alleged that the kingpin had amassed Rs 500 crore over the last five years.

Holding the central government equally responsible for the "scam", she questioned the "silence" of Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister J P Nadda, who is also the BJP national president.

Shrinate alleged that UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath allowed all this to happen in his state. She criticised his statement suggesting that there were no deaths due to codeine consumption, which implied that the problem was not serious. She alleged that a generation of youths had been destroyed with serious health issues and organ failures, yet the chief minister was unable to gauge the seriousness of the issue.

She said UP Congress president Ajay Rai had written to the UP home minister demanding a judicial probe into the scam.

Bharti referred to the state of health in Madhya Pradesh, alleging that over two dozen children died after consuming another spurious cough syrup.

She demanded the resignation of Nadda, saying his ministry directly controls the manufacturing of drugs and pharmaceuticals in the country. PTI SKC SKC KSS KSS