CHENNAI: Squarely blaming the State government for the death of more than 20 children in Madhya Pradesh after consuming a cough syrup manufactured by a Tamil Nadu-based company, the AIADMK said the tragedy once again exposed the complete failure of the DMK government to protect lives and maintain even the most basic standards of safety.

“Isn’t it the government’s fundamental duty to ensure quality control and rigorous inspection of all pharmaceutical companies operating in our State? Were the medicines made by the pharmaceutical company properly tested, and was a certificate of analysis issued before the product was released into the market,” it asked in a statement on Thursday.

It added that despite being struck off the Ministry of Corporate Affairs register, Sresan Pharmaceuticals, the company that manufactured Coldrif cough syrup, continued operating under a proprietary structure. This, it said, raised serious questions about the DMK government’s regulatory oversight.