Hyderabad: Union Minister and Telangana BJP President G Kishan Reddy has accused some political leaders of trying to create religious tension by spreading misinformation about the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, now known as the UMEED Act.
Speaking at the “Waqf Sudhar Janajagaran Abhiyan” workshop on Thursday, Kishan Reddy revealed that Telangana has around 77,000 acres of Waqf land and 35,000 Waqf properties. He questioned Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi about how much income is generated from these properties and how much of it is used to support poor Muslims.
He claimed that some leaders from the Congress and AIMIM parties have misused Waqf properties for political gain. According to him, several community halls were built under fake names through the Waqf Board, and the money earned went to Darussalam (AIMIM headquarters) instead of helping the poor. To stop this misuse and bring transparency, the government introduced changes in the Waqf Act. He said that the BJP had promised these reforms in their election manifesto to benefit poor Muslims.
Kishan Reddy said the Waqf Amendment Bill was recently introduced in Parliament. In August 2024, the Central Government formed a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to prepare the bill. This committee visited around 25 states and gathered feedback from over one crore citizens and experts. Based on this feedback, a report was submitted and Parliament held a 21-hour debate on the bill.
He challenged Asaduddin Owaisi and Rahul Gandhi to explain what the Waqf Board has done for poor Muslims. He alleged that these leaders are working with land mafias and that the income from Waqf properties isn’t reaching those in need. He pointed out that in 2006, Waqf properties covered 4.9 lakh acres and earned Rs 160 crore. By 2013, the income had only grown slightly to Rs 166 crore, despite increasing land values. He said that if Waqf properties were properly used, they could bring in up to Rs 12,000 crore every year to help poor Muslims.
He also clarified that mosques are not controlled by the Waqf Board and are managed by separate committees, just like temples and their endowment lands. He said many Muslims support Prime Minister Modi and the Waqf Amendment Act.
Kishan Reddy announced that after this workshop, BJP will hold district-level meetings to address people’s concerns about the new act. He urged everyone to work together and support the Waqf Amendment Act for the benefit of the Muslim community.
