Maneka Gandhi claims Cleopatra used to bathe in donkey’s milk

Sultanpur: A video of BJP Member of Parliament and former Union Minister Maneka Gandhi, who is also an animal rights activist, is gaining widespread attention on social media. In the video, Maneka Gandhi is seen addressing a “choupal” in Uttar Pradesh’s Sultanpur and says, “Donkey’s milk soap always keeps a woman’s body beautiful.” Furthermore, she claimed that Egypt Queen Cleopatra used to bathe in donkey’s milk.

“Cleopatra, a very famous queen, used to bathe in donkey’s milk. Soaps made with donkey’s milk cost Rs. 500 apiece in Delhi. Why don’t we start making soaps with goat’s milk and with donkey’s milk?” she asked in the now-viral video.

She also mentioned that a Ladakh community uses donkey’s milk to make soaps. The former Union Minister continued, “How long has it been since you spotted a donkey? Their numbers are falling. The washermen have also stopped using donkeys. There is a community in Ladakh which also noticed that the number of donkeys was dwindling. So they started milking donkeys and used the milk to make soap. Soaps made with donkey’s milk will keep a woman’s body beautiful forever.”

Talking about the growing expenses, Maneka Gandhi noted that as trees are disappearing and therefore wood is becoming expensive. Due to the same reason, cremation costs have also increased. “Wood has become so expensive that, even in death, people leave their family behind poorer. Wood costs around Rs. 15,000 – Rs. 20,000. Instead, we should add aromatic material to cow dung and use them to cremate the dead body. This will reduce the cost of the cremation rituals to just Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 2,000 and you can earn lakhs by selling these cow dung logs,” the BJP politician added.

In the longer version of the video on social media, the former Minister further added that she does not want people “to earn any money from animals”. “To date, no one has become rich by rearing goats or cows. We don’t have that many doctors. There would hardly be three doctors among the 25 lakh people in Sultanpur. Sometimes not even that.”

“If a cow or a buffalo or a goat falls sick, lakhs are spent on them. Women are also encouraged to assist with livestock. But how much can they do? That’s why I am strongly against anyone doing goat or cow rearing. It will take you a decade to earn. But the animal will die one night and everything will be over,” she further said.

It may be mentioned, Maneka Gandhi had started an organisation called People For Animals (PFA) in 1992 which is the largest organisation for animal rights/welfare in India. PFA also has a branch in Mysuru at SBM Layout in Bogadi to provide shelter for sick and abandoned animals.