Akhilesh Yadav Alleges Major Cough Syrup Scam Originated in Uttar Pradesh, Accuses BJP Government of Protecting Accused

Lucknow, December 19, 2025 — Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday alleged that a large-scale illegal trade of codeine-based cough syrup, worth thousands of crores, began in Uttar Pradesh and claimed that the BJP-led state government is shielding those involved in the racket. Addressing a press conference at the Samajwadi Party office in Lucknow, Yadav said the issue would be strongly raised during the Uttar Pradesh Assembly’s winter session, which begins on Friday. Yadav alleged that despite repeated claims of strict action against criminal networks, the state government has failed to act decisively in the cough syrup case. He claimed that the illegal supply of banned cough syrup has grown into a massive scam and questioned why those allegedly responsible have not been brought to justice. According to him, the government’s silence and slow response point to an attempt to protect influential people linked to the trade. The remarks come days after Varanasi Police carried out a major operation on December 10, seizing nearly 30,000 bottles of banned codeine-based cough syrup from a godown in the city. Officials estimated the value of the seized stock at around ₹60 lakh. Yadav said this seizure highlights only a small part of a much bigger network and demanded a thorough and transparent investigation into the entire supply chain. The Samajwadi Party chief also accused the BJP government of deliberately curtailing the duration of the Assembly’s winter session to avoid serious debate on public issues. He said matters related to the cough syrup trade, the alleged drug mafia, worsening air quality levels across the state, and concerns linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls would all be raised by his party in the House. “We have discussed these issues with our MLAs and MLCs. The problems faced by common people will be highlighted during the session,” Yadav said. He added that Samajwadi Party legislators are likely to stage a protest at the statue of Chaudhary Charan Singh within the Assembly premises to draw attention to these concerns. Using sharp words, Yadav questioned the government’s approach to law enforcement. Referring to the Chief Minister’s frequent use of bulldozers against alleged offenders, he said that in this case, the “bulldozer seems to have stopped.” He alleged that officials from the Special Task Force assigned to investigate the matter were themselves involved, further weakening the case. On the issue of electoral roll revision, Yadav claimed that the process was being misused. He questioned how the Chief Minister could claim that four crore votes were being deleted and alleged that the exercise resembled a “National Register of Citizens in disguise.” He accused the BJP of influencing the process through the Election Commission and said his party workers were actively trying to ensure that genuine voters were not removed from the rolls. The state government has not yet responded to Yadav’s allegations. As the Assembly session begins, the issue is expected to lead to heated exchanges between the ruling party and the opposition, with the cough syrup case likely to remain a major flashpoint. Akhilesh Yadav Alleges Major Cough Syrup Scam Originated in Uttar Pradesh, Accuses BJP Government of Protecting Accused Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday claimed that a large illegal trade of banned codeine-based cough syrup began in Uttar Pradesh and has now grown into a scam worth thousands of crores. Speaking at a press conference in Lucknow, he accused the BJP-led state government of shielding those involved and avoiding serious discussion on the issue. Yadav said the matter will be raised strongly during the Uttar Pradesh Assembly’s winter session, which starts on Friday. He alleged that the government has deliberately shortened the session to escape debate on issues affecting common people. Along with the cough syrup case, the Samajwadi Party plans to highlight rising drug-related crimes, poor air quality across the state, and concerns linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The controversy gained fresh attention after Varanasi Police carried out a major crackdown on December 10, seizing nearly 30,000 bottles of banned codeine-based cough syrup from a godown. The seized stock was valued at around ₹60 lakh. Yadav claimed this was only a small part of a much larger network and demanded a full investigation into the supply chain. Taking a swipe at the state government’s law-and-order claims, Yadav questioned why strict action had not been taken in this case. Referring to the Chief Minister’s use of bulldozers against alleged offenders, he said that in this matter, the “bulldozer has gone missing.” He further alleged that even STF officials assigned to probe the case were involved. On the issue of voter list revision, Yadav said the SIR exercise was being misused. He questioned how the Chief Minister could claim that four crore votes were being deleted and called the process “NRC in disguise.” He said party workers are working to ensure genuine voters are not removed. SP leaders are also expected to stage a protest at the Chaudhary Charan Singh statue during the Assembly session, keeping political tensions high in the state.