Won't be able to recite fatiha: Yogi Adityanath attacks Samajwadi on codeine racket

In a direct attack on the Opposition, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday warned that those involved in the Codeine cough syrup racket would face such strict action that they “won’t even be left in a state where they can recite the fatiha (the opening chapter of the Quran)”.

Yogi Adityanath alleged that key accused in the illegal diversion of codeine-based cough syrups had links with the Samajwadi Party and that licences to firms under scrutiny were issued during the party’s tenure in power. Holding up documents and photographs on the floor of the House, the Chief Minister said visuals of accused Alok Sipahi with Akhilesh Yadav had gone viral, raising serious questions about political patronage.

“The truth is always bitter, and people are not always used to hearing it,” Adityanath said, accusing the Opposition of trying to deflect attention from the investigation. He said cases had been registered under the NDPS Act for illegal diversion of codeine-based cough syrup, unauthorised storage and failure to maintain records — offences that carry punishment ranging from 10 to 20 years.

'NO ONE WILL BE SPARED'

Reiterating his government’s resolve, the Chief Minister said the crackdown was far from over. “We have taken action under the NDPS Act, and our action is still ongoing. We have arrested 77 accused so far. No one will be spared,” he told the House.

Adityanath informed legislators that 79 cases have been registered, 225 accused named and raids conducted on 134 firms across Uttar Pradesh. He said an SIT, headed by the state’s IG (Law and Order), had been constituted, while the police and Special Task Force had collected over a thousand samples as part of the probe.

The Chief Minister also stressed that no deaths linked to codeine syrup consumption had been reported in Uttar Pradesh and accused rivals of attempting to conflate the state’s crackdown with incidents elsewhere. “The Uttar Pradesh government has won this case in court,” he said, calling the action unprecedented.

ALLEGED SP LINKS FLAGGED

Naming individuals allegedly linked to the racket, Yogi Adityanath said Shubham Jaiswal of Shaili Traders was a major stockist and claimed he was a business partner of Amit Yadav, the Samajwadi Party Yuvjan Sabha’s state secretary and former candidate from Varanasi Cantt. “Amit Yadav’s photo is with Akhilesh Yadav He is your office bearer, and you cannot deny this,” the Chief Minister said.

He further alleged that the licence to Vibhor Rana, identified by investigators as a key figure in the network, was issued in 2016 during the SP government. “Everyone knows who has connections with the mafia,” Adityanath said, adding that the Opposition’s reaction showed its “nervousness”.

His remarks come just days after Akhilesh Yadav targeted the Chief Minister over the codeine racket.

“A state’s Chief Minister lies, and those standing with him also lie,” Akhilesh Yadav said on Saturday, claiming it was “unimaginable” that an illegal cough syrup business of such scale could operate from the Prime Minister’s parliamentary constituency.

Calling the issue “international”, the SP chief demanded bulldozer action against all mafias. “Bulldozers should be used on ‘Kalin Bhaiya’ and ‘Codeine Bhaiya’. Everyone involved in this business is a ‘Codeine Bhaiya’,” he said.

The Samajwadi Party MLAs also held a protest outside the Assembly in Lucknow on Monday over codeine cough syrup case.

Unfazed by the protests, Yogi Adityanath maintained that the government was acting firmly against criminal networks regardless of political affiliation. “The truth is bitter. Stop misleading people,” he told the Opposition, insisting that the crackdown would continue until the last link in the chain was exposed.

SIT REPORT ON CODEINE RACKET

An SIT report submitted to the Chief Minister describes what it calls a deeply entrenched syndicate exploiting domestic licensing loopholes, hawala financing and international smuggling routes. While codeine-based cough syrups are legal medicines, they are strictly regulated and prohibited for children under 12; the illegality lay in large-scale diversion, stockpiling and sale without prescription for intoxicant use. The syrups seized were genuine products, not spurious formulations.

The SIT identified Vibhor Rana as the alleged kingpin and said licences for all suspect firms linked to the network were issued before 2017. Investigators found a layered supply chain—from super-stockists to retailers—that enabled massive accumulation of bottles for diversion into the narcotics market. This chain, officials said, became the focus of what the state government describes as the country’s largest crackdown on illegal cough syrup diversion, along with action against sedatives and sleeping pills.

The SIT drew a clear distinction between the Uttar Pradesh crackdown and deaths reported in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, attributing those to spurious syrups manufactured elsewhere.

- Ends