A video of BJP MP and former Union minister Maneka Gandhi in which she can be purportedly heard saying soaps made out of donkey’s milk help keep a woman’s body beautiful, and that Egypt Queen Cleopatra used to bathe in donkey's milk has gone viral on social media. Addressing a choupal in Uttar Pradesh’s Sultanpur, Maneka Gandhi said, “Cleopatra, a very famous queen from Egypt, used to bathe in donkey’s milk. Soaps made with donkey’s milk cost ₹500 in Delhi. Why don’t we start making soaps with goat’s milk and with donkey’s milk?”
Maneka Gandhi, who is also an animal rights activist, spoke of a Ladakh community that uses donkey’s milk to make soaps. When was the last time you saw a donkey? Their numbers are falling. The washermen have stopped using donkeys. There is a community in Ladakh which saw a fall in the population of donkeys. So, they started using donkey’s milk to make soaps. Soaps made with donkey’s milk keep a woman’s body beautiful forever.”
The former Union minister further expressed concerns over rapid deforestation, and advised adding aromatic material to cow dung logs so that it can be used to cremate the deceased. “Wood has become so costly that even in death, families are left poorer. Wood costs around ₹15,000-20,000. Instead, we should add fragrant material to cow dung logs and use them to cremate the dead. This will reduce the cost of the rituals to just ₹1,500-2,000 and you can earn lakhs by selling these logs,” she added.
{{/usCountry}}The former Union minister further expressed concerns over rapid deforestation, and advised adding aromatic material to cow dung logs so that it can be used to cremate the deceased. “Wood has become so costly that even in death, families are left poorer. Wood costs around ₹15,000-20,000. Instead, we should add fragrant material to cow dung logs and use them to cremate the dead. This will reduce the cost of the rituals to just ₹1,500-2,000 and you can earn lakhs by selling these logs,” she added.
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Maneka Gandhi also said she is strongly against people “earning money from animals”. “No one has become rich by rearing cows or goats. There are hardly enough doctors among the 25 lakh people in Sultanpur. Lakhs are spent if a buffalo or goat falls ill. Women are advised to assist with livestock, but how much can they do? It will take you a decade to earn from an animal. But if it dies one day, everything will be over,” she said.