LUCKNOW, Dec. 21 -- A day after chief minister Yogi Adityanath accused the opposition of involvement in the codeine-based cough syrup diversion racket, the Uttar Pradesh government stepped up the offensive, asserting that it follows a "zero-tolerance policy" against crime. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies also echoed similar views. Uttar Pradesh finance and parliamentary affairs minister Suresh Khanna on Saturday said action has been taken against influential people under the Yogi Adityanath government and that no one found guilty will be spared. According to a press release, Khanna told reporters in Shahjahanpur that FIRs has been registered against 140 firms across 33 districts under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. He said the medicine, meant for patients with severe cough, was being diverted for drug abuse and was not reaching those in need. Khanna pointed out that a special investigation team (SIT) has been formed in coordination with the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) and the police. "Cough syrup worth Rs.9.42 crore has been seized, and 12,65,455 bottles of codeine-based syrup have been recovered. So far, 75 people have been arrested. As the SIT probe progresses, action will be taken against everyone involved in the nexus," he said. The minister said that look-out circulars (LOCs) have been issued against 12 key accused, and the process to issue the same against other suspects is underway, according to an agency report. Khanna also targeted the Samajwadi Party (SP), claiming that a photograph of its national president with alleged members of the codeine mafia had surfaced, and said he should clarify the issue instead of giving "vague answers". "The SP did not speak about the deaths of children in the country due to cough syrup. Large-scale drug trafficking took place and resulted in deaths, yet nothing was said about it. Those arrested have some connection or the other with people from the Samajwadi Party," Khanna said. He added that the Uttar Pradesh government has already clarified that not a single death has occurred in the state due to the syrup, but noted that the Yogi government has still taken swift action in the matter. Meanwhile, newly elected UP BJP president Pankaj Chaudhary said BJP governments at the centre and in the states act firmly against criminals, irrespective of political affiliation. Referring to the ongoing probe, he said action was already underway. "Whether it is a BJP government in Delhi, UP or anywhere else, there is a zero-tolerance policy against crime and criminals. An investigation is underway in the codeine matter and arrests are being made. The culprits will not be spared," Chaudhary said. Echoing the chief minister's remarks, UP minister and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar, a key NDA ally, attacked the SP, accusing it of patronising criminal elements. "People call the Samajwadi Party a government of goons. The Samajwadi Party is the one that shelters mafia and criminals," Rajbhar said, backing Adityanath's claim that several people linked to the opposition were involved in the racket. Responding to SP president Akhilesh Yadav's comments, Rajbhar questioned how the former chief minister appeared to have detailed knowledge of the case. "When the buying and selling were happening, was he standing there or was he the one doing the selling? Otherwise, how does he know who all are involved?" he asked. The BJP's aggressive response comes a day after Adityanath accused the opposition of links with organised crime and drug syndicates, asserting that his government would not spare anyone involved in illegal activities....