War of words continues between Madhya Pradesh & Tamil Nadu over cough syrup deaths

The Mohan Yadav government in Madhya Pradesh is facing intense pressure after more than 20 children died in the state allegedly after consuming 'Coldrif' cough syrup. The tragedy has sparked a political blame game between the governments of Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, where the medicine was manufactured.

Recently, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav visited AIIMS Nagpur to meet children from Madhya Pradesh who are undergoing treatment. He accused the Tamil Nadu government of failing to cooperate with the investigation.

"In MP, children's kidneys were damaged and some died after consuming cough syrup made in TN. Our police went to the production site and arrested several individuals, but the TN government is not cooperating as it should. The drug controller must thoroughly investigate the substandard medicine found there and submit a detailed report," Yadav told reporters.


In response, TN Health Minister Ma Subramanian cited a report from 2024, which noted a 40% shortfall in drug inspections since 2016. He said the responsibility for this lapse lay with former chief minister and current Opposition leader E Palaniswami, under whose tenure the inspections were neglected.

Subramanian added that since the DMK came to power in 2021, the state's drug control department has been conducting regular inspections. However, the Sresan Pharmaceuticals unit - the manufacturer of 'Coldrif' - was not inspected in the past year. He said action has been taken against the drug inspectors responsible for the lapse.