UP Assembly: Oppn alleges illegal trade of codeine cough syrup, govt denies charge

Lucknow, Dec 22 (PTI) The Uttar Pradesh Assembly witnessed noisy scenes on the second day of the winter session on Monday as Samajwadi Party (SP) members created an uproar over the alleged illegal trade of codeine cough syrup, claiming that hundreds of children had died, a charge strongly denied by the government.

Earlier in the day, SP legislators reached the main gate of the Vidhan Bhavan, holding placards with anti-government slogans and staging a sit-in in front of the statue of Chaudhary Charan Singh.

During the Question Hour, SP members rushed into the well of the House, raised anti-government slogans and demanded a discussion on the issue, disrupting proceedings.

Raising the issue, Leader of the Opposition Mata Prasad Pandey alleged that the codeine racket had spread “like a web” across the state and had been operating for a long time.

He claimed that the illegal trade had run into thousands of crores of rupees and alleged that hundreds of children had lost their lives.

Pandey said the government should have acted earlier, as it had intelligence inputs and agencies at its disposal. “Had timely action been taken, hundreds of children’s lives could have been saved,” he said, seeking a discussion and asking Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to clarify the government’s stand.

Parliamentary Affairs and Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna rejected the allegations, saying the SP was making “incorrect statements”.

“Not a single death has occurred in Uttar Pradesh due to codeine cough syrup,” he asserted, adding that the government had taken large-scale action.

As SP members continued sloganeering in the well, Speaker Satish Mahana repeatedly urged them to return to their seats. He said the opposition had given a notice under Rule 56 seeking a discussion by suspending the House's normal business and assured them that they would be informed when the time came.

During the sit-in protest, members of both the legislative assembly and the legislative council demanded strict action against those allegedly involved in the racket and accused the government of shielding certain people.

The SP members also accused the BJP-led state government of undermining the Constitution and the reservation system, curtailing the rights of women and ending job reservations for students and youth.

They claimed that with public support, the BJP government would be ousted in the 2027 Assembly elections.

Several SP members were seen wearing posters highlighting the alleged codeine cough syrup scam. Senior SP leader Amitabh Agnihotri carried a placard reading, “Health services have collapsed, the BJP is beating the drum of lies.” SP legislator Chandraprakash Lodhi alleged that voters’ names were being selectively deleted during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and said, "We will not allow the House to function today in protest.” Another SP member, Ram Khiladi Yadav, alleged that mafias had set up 700 illegal firms to run the codeine cough syrup business in Uttar Pradesh, and claimed the government was helpless in the face of such elements.

Uttar Pradesh police are probing an alleged illegal network involved in the storage and distribution of highly regulated codeine-laced cough syrups across the state.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) is examining diversion of medicines, financial transactions and links among the accused, with police citing evidence of super-stockists and cross-border trafficking to Nepal and Bangladesh. PTI AR KIS OZ OZ