Lucknow,

22 Dec (HS): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath fiercely refuted

charges made by Opposition Leader Mata Prasad Pandey about deaths

caused by the intake of phony pharmaceuticals and codeine syrup on Monday,

claiming in the Assembly that no such instance has yet been brought to the

state government's attention. He stated that instances involving the illicit

diversion of the syrup were being pursued under the Narcotic Drugs and

Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and the state government had successfully

maintained its position in court. Adityanath launched a scathing assault on the

Samajwadi Party, claiming that the largest wholesaler implicated in the codeine

syrup case, who was initially detained by the special task force (STF) in 2016,

was granted a license while the SP administration was in office.

Referring to images

in the public domain, he stated that whenever such situations arise on a

national scale, some individuals instantly quit the country. I believe the same

is happening among your people. The chief minister responded to the

opposition's concerns as soon as the House proceedings began, stating that it

looked to be politically motivated. When an issue is raised

unnecessarily, one is reminded of the saying 'Chor ke dadhi me tinka' (a guilty

person feels the prick of straw in his beard), he said. He stated that

there has not been a single case of death caused by fake drugs reported

in Uttar Pradesh to date, and that enforcement officials stay attentive.

Adityanath remarked

that the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) conducts raids on several occasions

and takes stern punishment against erring enterprises. He also said definitely

that there have been no deaths in Uttar Pradesh as a result of codeine syrup.

Cases involving the unlawful diversion of the syrup were being prosecuted under

the NDPS Act, and the state government had successfully maintained its position

in court. Adityanath emphasized that Uttar Pradesh does not produce codeine

syrup and only has stockists and distributors. Production takes occur in places

such as Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. He stated that the reported deaths

were from different states and were connected to syrup made in Tamil Nadu.

The chief minister

described the situation as unlawful diversion rather than adulteration,

claiming that wholesalers from districts like as Saharanpur, Ghaziabad,

Varanasi, Lucknow, and Kanpur were involved in diverting the syrup to regions

and countries where it is prohibited, resulting in its abuse. Such medications

should not be ingested without medical supervision, especially by

youngsters, he warned, adding that the syrup was frequently recommended

by doctors for coughs. Adityanath detailed the government's actions so far,

stating that 79 cases had been lodged, 225 persons had been identified, and 78

offenders had been detained. Raids have been undertaken at 134 businesses.

Transactions related to this scam are being investigated by the STF, and if one

digs further, linkages to Samajwadi Party politicians or functionaries surface,

he claimed. The chief minister told the House that no offenders would be

spared. The government successfully defended this case in court. Don't fear;

when the time comes, even harsher action will be taken (against the guilty).

Then please don't raise slogans, he urged.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi