In a grave development, several children in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have reportedly died after consuming a specific cough syrup. Responding to these heartbreaking incidents, the Congress party has called for an immediate judicial inquiry into the matter. They demand strict action against all individuals and entities found responsible, alongside adequate compensation for the families who have lost their loved ones.
The opposition party further criticized the state governments in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, accusing them of prematurely clearing the manufacturing companies implicated in these deaths. The Congress also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to issue an apology regarding the situation.
During a joint press conference, Umang Singhar, the Congress Legislature Party leader in Madhya Pradesh, claimed that 16 children have died in Chhindwara. He highlighted that the local Congress MLA had repeatedly alerted the government to the issue, but no measures were taken. Singhar recounted a distressing instance where the body of a young girl had to be exhumed for a post-mortem as the crisis escalated, while the Chief Minister was reportedly away.
“The Deputy Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh states that no deaths occurred due to cough syrup, effectively giving a clean chit to the company. What kind of insensitive governance is this? What is the Deputy Chief Minister’s connection to this pharmaceutical company?” Singhar questioned.
He pointed out that while tests are typically conducted for even minor ailments, no proper testing was carried out when children’s kidneys began failing in Madhya Pradesh.
“The pharmaceutical company appears to have strategically chosen a tribal area like Parasia, knowing that the voices of Dalits, tribals, and the poor might be suppressed there. If such companies operate in collaboration with the government in smaller districts, are ministers receiving a share from these companies?” he pressed.
Singhar also alleged that both Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh are governed by ‘puppet’ Chief Ministers, implying that critical decisions are dictated from New Delhi. He asked whether the government had initiated any campaign to identify other affected children among the approximately 25,000 residents of Parasia. He denounced the ₹4 lakh compensation offered by the BJP government, asking, “Is the value of a mother’s empty lap just ₹4 lakh?”
He then questioned the humanity within the Madhya Pradesh BJP government. Singhar reiterated the demand for a judicial inquiry into these tragic child deaths and a government job for a member of each affected family. He stressed, “The families of the deceased children should receive compensation equivalent to the total amount spent on their treatment. There should be no political maneuvering in this crisis.”
Adding to this, Tika Ram Jully, the Congress Legislature Party leader in the Rajasthan Assembly, noted that despite the Prime Minister’s claims of 25 years of public service, such incidents are occurring under his administration, and he “should apologize to the nation.”
“In both Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, several children have died and many more are critically ill after consuming this cough syrup. Yet, the BJP government in Rajasthan refuses to acknowledge that these deaths were caused by the cough syrup,” Jully stated.
He challenged the Rajasthan government, asking, “What compels you to procure drug supplies from blacklisted and notorious pharmaceutical companies?”
Across India, various states have intensified their efforts to stop the sale and distribution of Coldrif cough syrup, particularly after 14 child deaths in Madhya Pradesh were linked to the medicine. The Madhya Pradesh government has since suspended three officials and transferred the drug controller in response to the growing outrage.