Cong Vs BJP over Uzbekistan deaths: Jairam targets Centre, Malviya terms it Modi hatred

New Delhi: A controversy & political brawl has broken out between Congress & Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over death of 18 children in Uzbekistan, apparently linked to an Indian cough syrup.

A day after Uzbekistan claimed that its 18 children had collapsed after consuming Made-In-India cough syrup, Congress took on Modi government and held it accountable for ‘false’ boasting & bragging out India’s medical prowess.

Senior Congress also linked Uzbekistan deaths to Gambia incident where at least 70 children had died after consuming some cough syrup.

Made in India cough syrups seem to be deadly. First it was the deaths of 70 kids in Gambia & now it is that of 18 children in Uzbekistan. Modi Sarkar must stop boasting about India being a pharmacy to the world & take strictest action.

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) December 29, 2022

The BJP took strong exception to Congress leader charge and said that their hatred towards Modi is prompting them to make wild claims.

BJP IT cell in-charge Amit Malviya took to Twitter and said that Congress was ‘blinded in its hate for Modi’ and hence they were ‘deriding India and its entrepreneurial spirit’.

The BJP spokesperson further rubbished Congress charge that deaths in Gambia was in anyway linked to Uzbekistan deaths.

Lashing out at Congress, he said that Congress was deliberately trying to give a spin to the issue and making baseless claims to target Modi government.

The death of children in Gambia had nothing to do with the consumption of cough syrup made in India. That has been clarified by the Gambian authorities and DCGI, both. But blinded in its hate for Modi, Congress continues to deride India and its entrepreneurial spirit. Shameful… https://t.co/BKVQw5qskI

— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) December 29, 2022

It may be noted that Indian cough syrups were given clean chit by Gambia authorities as well as the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI).

Political sparring aside, the government has launched a probe into the matter and the manufacturing of disputed cough syrup has been stopped at Noida unit of the pharma company.

What happened in Uzbekistan & which syrup is under cloud?

At least 18 children reportedly died in Uzbekistan after consuming drug Doc-1 Max. The drug was reportedly administered to children without any doctor’s prescription as it is known to fight common cold.

The children were admitted to hospital as their condition didn’t improve and later passed away. Health department of Uzbekistan has reportedly found ethylene glycol, a toxic substance, in the syrups, during lab tests.

The cough syrup is made by an Indian pharmaceutical company named Marion Biotech.