Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Monday railed against the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress, alleging SP workers are linked to the illegal trade of codeine cough syrup in the state.
Addressing the assembly on the second day of the Winter Session that saw disruptive scenes, Aditynath said the SP’s allegations against the government are politically motivated.
The SP has alleged illegal trade of cough syrup worth thousands of crores of rupees in Uttar Pradesh, leading to the deaths of hundreds of children. The party has also accused the BJP-led state government of shielding the accused.
In his speech, the chief minister claimed SP workers were involved in the illegal trade and none of them would be spared. He then went on to target SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, without naming them.
“There are two ‘namoone‘ (clowns) in the country, one is in Delhi and the other in Lucknow. Whenever there’s a discussion in the country, they flee the country. And I think the same thing is happening with your ‘Babua‘,” said the UP CM.
Adityanath has often used the term ‘Babua’ to take a dig at Akhilesh. Taking another dig, the CM said the SP chief might soon go on another trip to England.
Akhilesh responded to the remarks through a post X, saying Adityanath’s statement was “self-admission” of infighting in the BJP.
आत्म-स्वीकृति!
किसी को उम्मीद नहीं थी कि दिल्ली-लखनऊ की लड़ाई यहाँ तक पहुँच जाएगी। संवैधानिक पदों पर बैठे लोग आपस में कुछ तो लोक-लाज रखें और मर्यादा की सीमा न लाँघें। भाजपाई अपनी पार्टी के अंदर की खींचातानी को चौराहे पर न लाएं। कहीं कोई बुरा मान गया तो वापस जाना पड़ेगा। pic.twitter.com/99SMGEgD7M
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) December 22, 2025
“No one expected the Delhi-Lucknow fight to escalate to this point. Those holding constitutional positions should at least maintain some public decorum among themselves and not cross the limits of propriety. BJP leaders should not bring their internal squabbles out onto the streets. If someone takes offence, you might have to go back,” he wrote in Hindi, suggesting the CM is at odds with the central BJP leadership which does not want him to remain in the post.
In the assembly, meanwhile, Adityanath continued his tirade, primarily targeting the SP, and naming its several workers, who he alleged were behind the cough syrup scam.
The Varanasi Police earlier this month conducted a crackdown on the illegal trade of banned codeine-based syrup, and seized around 30,000 bottles from a godown.
Adityanath said a probe pointed towards individuals linked to the Samajwadi Party. He said transactions related to the cough syrup case passed through the bank account of an office-bearer of the SP’s Lohia Vahini. He said the Special Task Force is investigating the matter.
This triggered a loud protest in the assembly, to which the chief minister said, “The truth is bitter, but you must listen to it carefully.”
Referring to Shubham Jaiswal, one of the main accused in the Varanasi case who is on the run, Adityanath said Jaiswal used SP worker Manoj Yadav’s shop. Manoj Yadav’s business partners included SP leader Amit Yadav and Milind Yadav, he claimed.
The CM said Amit Yadav is an office-bearer of the SP youth wing and has photos with Akhilesh Yadav, adding that the former had fled to Dubai.
The CM also alleged that Vibhor Rana, another accused from Saharanpur, was granted a licence during the SP government. He said Alok Sipahi, who has been arrested in the case, was a “Pakka Sapai” (a true SP man).
No one knows better than the Samajwadi Party how the mafia operates, the CM said, asking the party to “stop misleading” people.
Also Read: Indians are obsessed with cough syrups. Are they really needed?
What SP alleged
Akhilesh had Thursday alleged that there was a massive scam involving illegal supply of codeine-based cough syrup in UP and the BJP government was shielding those involved.
Before that, SP leaders also alleged former MP Dhananjay Singh was involved in the case, pointing to main accused Shubham Jaiswal’s photos with him that have gone viral.
Singh, who is considered close to BJP, has denied the allegations.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
Also Read: A cough syrup’s trail of death, Kanchipuram to Chhindwara. ‘Son’s life cost Rs 30’