LUCKNOW: The winter session of the Uttar Pradesh Legislature began on Friday amid sharp political exchanges over the ongoing “codeine cough syrup” racket, with tensions between the state government and opposition marking the proceedings.

Samajwadi Party (SP) MLAs attended the four-day session wearing symbols highlighting the issue, while Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath accused the opposition of having links to the culprits involved in the racket.

At around 11:30 am, the CM spoke to the media outside the Assembly, saying preliminary investigations revealed that those arrested in the case had connections with the SP. He added, in a poetic remark, that instead of focusing on facts, the SP chief was “trying to clean his mirror while the dust was there on his face.” Yogi further noted that if the issue was raised in the Legislative Council, the government would respond there as well.

The CM said probe agencies, including the FSDA, UP Police, and STF, had tracked illegal smuggling, resulting in arrests. He explained that codeine phosphate, used in medicines, falls under the NDPS, and its quota and allotment are predefined by the Central Narcotics Bureau for medicinal purposes. The state government’s action followed reports of misuse in cough syrup and complaints of smuggling.

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav later retaliated, calling the allegations an old tactic and urging the government to come up with new approaches instead of repeating past strategies.