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Cough syrup nexus to air pollution: SP lawmakers protest in unique ways
Samajwadi Party lawmakers staged unique protests at Uttar Pradesh's Vidhan Bhavan, highlighting issues of cough syrup safety and air pollution.
From a member riding a bicycle with a huge cough syrup cutout to another legislator wearing a poster full of questions on the same issue and a third member arriving at the Vidhan Bhavan with an oxygen mask on his face to highlight the problem of air pollution, Samajwadi Party lawmakers protested in unique ways outside the House on the first day of the winter session of the Uttar Pradesh legislature.
Earlier in the day, chief minister Yogi Adityanath had said those accused in the cough syrup nexus had links with the Samajwadi Party.
SP MLC Ashutosh Sinha reached Vidhan Bhavan on a bicycle with a huge cutout of a cough syrup bottle on it. The cutout read, “Jadui syrup. Peene wala mar jata hai, bechne wala daulatmand ho jaata hai. Satta ka sanrakshan pata hai, phir videsh nikal jata hai.” (Magical syrup: The one who drinks it dies, the one who sells it becomes wealthy. He enjoys the protection of power, and then escapes abroad).”
On the other hand, SP MLA from Shikohabad Mukesh Verma wore a poster asking when the big names involved in the cough-syrup racket will be arrested? The symbolic protest by SP lawmakers came a day after the party’s national president Akhilesh Yadav had announced that his party members will strongly raise the cough-syrup issue in the state legislature.
Meanwhile, SP MLA from Bhadohi Zahid Beg reached the Vidhan Bhavan on a bicycle with an oxygen mask, raising the issue of pollution and air quality index (AQI) levels).
“Today, the condition of pollution in the state capital Lucknow is very bad. Despite taking medicines and cough syrup, my condition didn’t improve. Even these cough syrups are not safe anymore now. The government has turned a blind eye to the issue, they are not bothered about people’s health,” he said.
