According to the cables, Mayawati had sent her private jet to pick up a pair of sandals.
US embassy cables from 2007 to 2009 released by the WikiLeaks website in recent days describe Mayawati, 55, as “a first-rate egomaniac” who “is obsessed with becoming prime minister”.
They said Mayawati celebrated her birthday each year by receiving millions of dollars in gifts from “sycophantic party members, civil servants and business people”.
“When she needed new sandals, her private jet flew empty to Mumbai to retrieve her preferred brand,” a cable dated October 23, 2008 reported.
“She constructed a private road from her residence to her office, which is cleaned immediately after her multiple vehicle convoy reaches its destination,” the cable said in an analysis of her “eccentricities, whims and insecurities”.
It added an account of Mayawati making a state minister do sit-ups in front of her as punishment for a minor protocol error, and reported it cost $250,000 to run as a BSP parliamentary candidate due to “institutionalised corruption”.
Published 05 September 2011, 18:10 IST