Lucknow, Dec. 23 -- The third day of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly's winter session witnessed intense political confrontation inside and outside the House over the alleged codeine cough syrup scam. The issue also echoed strongly in the Legislative Council, leading to sharp exchanges between Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and Leader of the Opposition Lal Bihari Yadav. Samajwadi Party (SP) MLC Shahnawaz Khan also launched a scathing attack on the government.
Raising the issue, SP MLC Lal Bihari Yadav alleged that a massive scam involving codeine cough syrup had taken place and claimed it could not be happened without government's protection. He said the government could not be "innocent" in such a large-scale operation. Criticising ...