Bangalore : JD(S) chief H D Deve Gowda on Sunday demanded that the State government should order a CBI probe into all the iron ore mining companies that have been indicted in the Karnataka Lokayukta report on illegal mining.

Addressing reporters, he said the then Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde had submitted an exhaustive report on illegal mining. It is not proper to hand over only a select few companies or cases for CBI investigation. The government should also take steps to recover the loss caused to the State exchequer due to illegal mining as recommended in the report, he added.

Gowda said it was a misconception that the State Congress leaders fought against illegal mining. Except for taking out padayatra from Bangalore to Bellary, the Congress hardly protested against the issue. In reality, it was the JD(S), led by H D Kumaraswamy, which exposed those involved in illegal mining. But the JD(S) could not encash the issue in the Assembly polls due to wrong selection of candidates, he said.

The government should immediately act against illegal quarrying and land mafia in the State. Illegal quarrying is rampant from Chamarajanagar to Kanakapura in Ramanagar district. The land mafia has gobbled hundreds of acres of prime land. The mafia is also funding elections. Those who are involved in illegal quarrying and encroachment of land should be brought to book.

The government should immediately set up special courts to try cases related to land encroachment and illegal quarrying in the State, Gowda added.

“When Siddaramaiah (the chief minister) was in the JD(S), he had demanded setting up of special courts. He now has the power to do so. I wonder what is stopping him from setting up special courts,” the JD(S) national president said. On the controversy related to banning of superstitious practices, Gowda said the debate on the issue is unnecessary.

“You cannot ban people’s belief : those who believe in certain things, follow certain practices and those who do not follow anything,” he added. He described the government’s controversial scheme Shaadi Bhagya as a gimmick ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.