Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday escalated his attack on the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, alleging that a massive illegal supply network of codeine-based cough syrups, now running into "thousands of crores", originated in the state and was being shielded by those in power.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters after a meeting of SP MLAs, Yadav said the alleged racket had its roots in the “area of Pradhan Sansad” (Varanasi MP), a direct reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency.
The issue, he said, would be a key focus for the party in the upcoming session of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly.
“The concern over codeine and cough syrup is not limited to the common people of Uttar Pradesh. It is a matter of concern across the country. This racket started from the area of a Pradhan Sansad (Varanasi MP), and its links extend not just across the country but also abroad,” Yadav said.
The former chief minister claimed that what began as a scam worth a few crores had grown into a far larger operation, with crucial links in districts adjoining Modi’s constituency. “The entire operation is being run from the state,” he alleged.
Yadav linked the alleged racket to deaths of children in several places, including Auraiya district, accusing authorities of suppressing facts.
He claimed that doctors were being pressured not to acknowledge the cause of death “despite being aware of it”.
According to officials, financial transactions and money trails connected to the network are being verified, with the Enforcement Directorate conducting a parallel probe.
Food and Drug Safety Administration officials have said that codeine-based syrups fall under Schedule H and are legal if sold against prescription, but violations occur when large quantities are supplied without documentation, often enabling their misuse as intoxicants.
Officials said FIRs have been registered against 128 establishments across 28 districts under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the NDPS Act.
Yadav questioned the state government’s law enforcement response, drawing a contrast with its frequent use of bulldozers in other cases. “It seems the driver of the government’s bulldozer has fled and the key is lost,” he remarked.
He also alleged selective targeting, claiming that in 22 major bulldozer actions across the state, most of those affected belonged to the PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Minorities) sections.
Raising doubts about the investigation into the syrup case, he said STF teams assigned to the probe were dominated by personnel from a single district and were “compromised”.
The SP chief extended his attack to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging pressure on officials to remove voters aligned with his party.
He claimed that CM Yogi Adityanath was personally pushing officials during visits to cut the votes of Samajwadi Party supporters.
He questioned claims that four crore voters had already been deleted, asking how such figures could be known when neither the Election Commission nor political parties had received official data.
Yadav alleged that BJP leaders and MLAs were holding late-night meetings with private companies to “manipulate” figures to reach the four-crore mark, adding that such deletions would amount to 84,000 voters per assembly constituency and “ultimately harm the BJP”.
Terming the SIR exercise an “NRC”, he alleged collusion between the Election Commission and the BJP.
Beyond the syrup racket and voter revision, Yadav listed a series of governance issues he said the government was avoiding: alleged irregularities in recruitment by the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission, denial of due reservation to backward classes, shortage of urea forcing farmers to queue in winter, stalled paddy procurement, rising unemployment and inflation, privatisation of electricity, and deteriorating law and order.
SP legislators, he said, would collectively raise these issues in the Assembly and corner the government. He accused the ruling party of diverting attention by pushing emotive debates instead of responding to allegations of corruption and administrative failures.