Hyderabad: Union coal minister G Kishan Reddy said Thursday that Congress and MIM leaders used WAQF properties to increase their political power.
“In the Purview of the WAQF Board, many community halls were built under the name of Benami. Darussalam is using their income and does not benefit poor Muslims. So, transparent changes were made through the WAQF Amendment-2025, so all WAQF lands are digitalized every year, audited and reviewed by Geo Tag and all WAQF lands are stated, he said.
Kishan Reddy spoke after a seminar on “Waqf Sudhar Janajagaran Abhiyan” at the BJP State Office in Nampally.
In Telangana, the WAQF Board owns 77,000 acres of land and 35,000 properties. Asaduddin Owaisi, head of Congress and MIM, should provide details of his income and how much help has been provided to poor Muslims so far.
“If Owaisi and Congress leaders have the courage, they should tell us how many people have received justice from the WAQF board over the past 75 years,” he said, adding that this was the central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that abolished Triple Talaq and provided protection for Muslim women.
Kishan Reddy said most Muslim communities welcome the WAQF amendment. The central government made changes with sincerity and keeping the country’s interests in mind. However, Owasi and Congress leaders are spreading false propaganda for Muslim voting banks and trying to plunder WAQF property, he said.
The union minister further stated that the management of the mosque is different from that of WAQF land. “We warn leaders not to combine these two. Mosques are not under the WAQF board. They have separate committees. Similarly, donation land and temple committees are different. Don’t link these issues.”
Kishan Reddy said the Muslim community is supporting the WAQF Amendment Act. The BJP will organize meetings at the regional level to clear people’s doubts. “We ask everyone to work hard to get public support for the WAQF amendment,” he said.
According to Kishan Reddy, the WAQF board owns huge land in the country after the railway and defensive wings. However, the income from these lands did not benefit poor Muslims. The benefits of the WAQF board are only harvested by MIM leaders, religious directors, robbers and real estate companies.
“Can Owasi and MP Rahul Gandhi tell us how much benefit the poor Muslims have gained from the WAQF board? They are supporting the propaganda of the Land Mafia. In fact, the revenue from the WAQF board does not benefit poor Muslims,” he said.
In 2006, the WAQF property had a scope of 490,000 acres, while the revenue was only Rs 1.66 crore. He added that by 2013 it had reached only Rs 1.66 crore.
