Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh)

Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav, at a press conference on Saturday, addressed the Codeine syrup controversy, claiming that the racket originated from the Prime Minister's constituency.

"...A state's Chief Minister lies, and those standing with him also lie. You can't imagine that an illegal cough syrup business is operating from the Prime Minister's parliamentary constituency... And it's worth thousands of crores. This is an international issue...," Yadav said.

He alleged that the racket was far bigger than projected and called for a bulldozer-style action against all "mafias", even if they belong to the Samajwadi Party, referring to everyone involved in the business as "Codeine Bhaiya".

"This is not a matter of Rs 100 or 200 crore. What is being heard is that it involves around 700 companies and transactions worth several thousand crore rupees," he said.

Akhilesh Yadav read from several news headlines as he traced the timeline of the cough syrup racket, accusing the BJP of hiding key facts and said that the BJP government is using selective images to accuse the Samajwadi Party.

He asked the BJP government, "If standing in a picture makes someone a mafia, then I also have photographs with the chief minister, both deputy chief ministers and several BJP leaders. If my photo and the chief minister's photo are seen together, who will be called the mafia then?"

Akhilesh Yadav's remarks come after UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took a sharp dig at the Samajwadi Party, saying the party is connected to every Mafia, in the context of codeine cough syrup smuggling case.

"Everyone knows that almost every mafia in the state has ties to the Samajwadi Party. The preliminary investigation has revealed the fact that some of the accused caught in the action of the STF or the Uttar Pradesh Police are related to the Samajwadi Party.", he said.

"The Samajwadi Party, which is already infamous and infamous for its functioning, will also see its complicity exposed in this whole affair. ", he added.

He further said that strict action has been taken in the illegal cough syrup smuggling case. NDPS, STF, and FSDA, along with the UP government and police, are investigating.

"Action was taken following complaints of poisonous cough syrups being sold at various locations. There were also reports of illegal smuggling of syrups in Uttar Pradesh...", the CM said.

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Yogi Adityanath said that codeine phosphate is a drug under the NDPS Act. It is used in the manufacture of codeine-containing cough syrups, which are used to treat severe coughs. Its quota and allocation are made by the Central Narcotics Bureau only for authorised drug manufacture. He said that this cough syrup was being misused as a drug at many places.