JOIN USThe confidante of Yeddyurappa, Lehar Singh is a man with many hats. He usually arranged logistics when a senior party leader arrived in Bangalore; he served as interlocutor with the BJP central leadership.
The 59-year-old usually accompanied Yeddyurappa to Delhi to make up for his limited ability to converse in Hindi. Yeddyurappa rewarded him for his loyalty by making him a member of the Upper House.
Singh, who is into steel business, chose to remain behind the screen, away from media glare.
However, he came to the forefront in the controversy that ensued Kumaraswamy’s remarks that Yeddyurappa tried several times to buy his silence over graft charges through Lehar Singh.
Singh, who is presently camping at the Kottakkal Ayurveda Vaidya Shala with Yeddyurappa, told Deccan Herald over the phone that he was pained by Kumaraswamy’s remarks.
He said: “I didn’t speak to Kumaraswamy about inducements nor did the Chief Minister give any such mandate.”
Singh said he wouldn’t even dream of insulting them by offering inducements.
“I admired Deve Gowda as the Leader of the Opposition in 1972. I have great respect for him and his family. I don’t know what prompted Kumaraswamy to make such remarks against me,” he said.