Giriraj Singh (right) talks to visitors at his janata darbar in Patna over tea made with goat milk. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, Sept. 28: Visitors to a recent janata darbar of animal and fish resources minister Giriraj Singh have been treated to a unique beverage: tea prepared with goat milk.

The minister claims that anybody having the tea could hardly distinguish difference in its taste. Not everyone agrees though. Many were uneasy about the beverage on offer.

Singh, who has raised a number of goats on the premises of his official bungalow on Circular Road, said he had ordered for goat-milk tea with the intention of promoting it.

“There is nothing wrong in tea prepared from goat milk. It tastes similar to cow or buffalo milk,” he said. “Even Mahatma Gandhi used to drink goat milk.” The minister added: “Recently, I have started the practice of serving goat-milk tea to visitors. Most of them do not understand the difference if they are not told.”

When they learn of it, however, not everyone is at ease.

A resident of north Bihar, who recently visited the janata darbar of the minister, said: “When I drank the tea, I felt it was different. Its smell is different from tea prepared with cow milk.”

When informed that it had been prepared with goat milk, the visitor was visibly uneasy. He said: “I wanted to ask the minister about it but I could not. I thought he might not like it. I think he should have at least informed us that the tea is prepared with goat milk before serving it to us.”

The visitor added: “Now that I know about it, I feel like throwing up. I don’t like the flavour in my mouth. I don’t know what to do. The next time I visit a janata darbar, I shall not consume anything.”

Then, the visitor drank large quantities of water to get rid of the flavour.

Such criticism has either not reached the minister or has failed to deter him. For, Singh is planning to market goat milk along with other kinds.

He said: “I am in touch with Bihar State Milk Co-operative Federation. I want to promote goat milk. I know that it will take some time to be accepted by the people. Well-to-do people consider goat milk to be a drink for the poor. Our party supports the move. In our memorandum, we had stated that all below poverty line families would be provided with a goat.”

Not everyone in the party, however, likes the taste of goat milk.

Sources said BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain was also offered goat milk when he visited Singh’s house. Hussain was not impressed and he told Singh that it was not right to serve goat milk to people without telling them about it beforehand. Singh, however, believes that his endeavour would be of great help to people who cannot afford to purchase cows or buffaloes, as some breeds of goat give two to four litres of milk daily.

At present, Singh lives at a sprawling bungalow on 2 Circular Road. He has raised 150 goats, 10 emus, 10 rabbits and five ducks on his premises. He has planted exotic grass on the campus. He has also set up barricades on the premises to rear goats of which he owns different breeds such as Jamunapari, Sirohi and Barbari that have been brought from Uttar Pradesh. Singh will, however, have to soon vacate his current accommodation to allow Legislative Council chairman Tarakant Jha to move in, as it is earmarked for the latter.

The minister is worried that his new house on Netaji Road will not be able to accommodate the animals that he has raised at his official bungalow.