Lucknow, Dec. 18 -- Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the Uttar Pradesh government over the illegal trade of banned codeine-based cough syrup, alleging large-scale irregularities, selective action and administrative failure.

While addressing a press conference at the party office in Lucknow, Yadav said the issue related to the alleged codeine-based cough syrup case would be raised in the Legislative Assembly, calling it a matter of serious public concern.

This comes after Varanasi Police on December 10 conducted a major crackdown on the illegal trade of banned codeine-based cough syrup, seizing around 30,000 bottles from a godown in the city, with an estimated value of approximately...