New Delhi ( CNN ) -- An Indian politician accused in U.S. diplomatic cables of sending a private jet to fetch a pair of sandals denied the allegations on Tuesday and said WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange had gone `` mad . '' `` I would request the government of his country to send him ( Assange ) to a mental asylum and if they have no space for him in his country we can put him in our mental hospital , '' Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Mayawati , who goes by one name , said at a rare news conference . Mayawati 's blistering response comes a day after a U.S. cable released on WikiLeaks alleged she was a `` paranoid dictator '' and that `` when she needed new sandals , her private jet flew empty to Mumbai to retrieve her preferred brand . '' `` I have no information on when the plane was sent to Mumbai for bringing sandals as has been stated by a BJP ( opposition party ) leader , and it looks like he and the WikiLeaks owner had gone in the same plane , '' Mayawati said . The Dalit ( formerly `` untouchable '' ) leader is an icon for millions of low-caste Indians who were oppressed by upper caste Hindus for centuries . As the U.S. diplomatic cable explained , `` Dalits will remain with Mayawati regardless of poor governance , simply because the fact that one of their own is chief minister provides them heretofore unimaginable pride . '' A member of the Bahujan Samaj Party ( BSP ) , Mayawati became the first Dalit woman chief minister in 2007 , winning elections in the country 's most populous state by a majority . The controversial leader has often been criticized for her extravagance in what is one of India 's poorest states . She has erected numerous enormous statues of herself across her state of Uttar Pradesh , spending more than a $ 1 billion dollars as a symbol of Dalit empowerment . She is often congratulated with garlands made out of 1000 rupee or $ 20 bank notes at her political rallies . And she 's known to have a penchant for designer handbags . But according to senior political journalist and co-author of Mayawati 's autobiography Ajoy Bose , the self-glorification works for her constituency . `` That 's the irony . In many ways , you find victim communities tend to look at larger-than-life leaders . Dalits are a particularly oppressed community , they were never even allowed to worship the same gods , so they never had their own icons . So she has very cleverly used this to her advantage . This is not just megalomania , it also plays well with her audience . And she is not just a whimsical autocrat , she is far too successful in politics to be dismissed as that . '' On Tuesday , Mayawati rejected the allegations that she was `` obsessed with becoming Prime Minister '' saying they were `` baseless '' and indicative of `` anti-Dalit mentality . '' The scathing report titled `` Portrait of a Lady '' sent by U.S. diplomats in New Delhi quoted a local journalist 's account of the `` Dalit Queen '' making a state minister do sit-ups as punishment for a minor error . In a paragraph titled `` Eccentric Paranoia , '' the U.S. cable reported Mayawati employs nine cooks ( two to cook , the others to watch over them ) and two food tasters . The U.S cables cite `` local journalists '' and Mayawati 's aide Satish Mishra as sources . Mishra , a Parliament member who is also known as Mayawati 's right hand man , is quoted in the cables of allegedly saying Mayawati has a `` penchant for personal corruption '' and a `` strong authoritarian streak . '' Mishra denied ever meeting a U.S. official in May 2007 ( the time mentioned in the cables ) and threatened to take legal action . He told reporters on Tuesday , `` there is definitely some conspiracy behind it because a 2007 event is being talked about ahead of the 2012 Uttar Pradesh elections . '' Bose was also surprised by the cables . `` We all know she is pretty eccentric and pretty dictatorial and she can splurge , but as far as these specific allegations are concerned , the sourcing seems to be suspect , '' Bose said . According to Bose , Mayawati has always been a very controversial leader , and for the urban middle classes who `` dislike her intensely , '' the WikiLeaks reports just confirm what they already think . As for whether these cables will affect Mayawati 's political pull , Bose said : `` She has n't done that much for the Dalits , but when your leader is attacked by a class and caste which has been seen as the oppressor , then you automatically cling to your leader even more strongly , so all of this may actually be doing Mayawati a favor . ''
She denies allegations , says Assange is ` ` mad '' She is a threat to millions of low - caste ##s . She says allegations may help make her more popular .