‘Cleopatra bathed in it’: Maneka Gandhi says soap made of donkey’s milk keeps woman’s body beautiful

A speech made by BJP MP and former Union Minister Maneka Gandhi has been gaining a lot of attention on social media platforms, where she is heard saying that soap made out of donkey’s milk helps keep a woman’s body beautiful. Addressing a choupal in Uttar Pradesh’s Sultanpur, she said: “Cleopatra, a very famous queen from Egypt, used to bathe in donkey’s milk. Soaps made with donkey’s milk cost Rs 500 in Delhi. Why don’t we start making soaps with goat’s milk and with donkey’s milk?” The former Union minister was also seen speaking about rapid deforestation in many areas. “Wood has become so costly that even in death, families are left poorer. Wood costs around Rs 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 Rs 1,500-2,000 and you can earn lakhs by selling these logs,” Gandhi added. Gandhi also said that 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.