Leader of Opposition in the Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday accused the Mamata Banerjee government of “creating communities” to facilitate diversion of funds meant for other communities.

“The reality is that the government is as of now conducting a survey with the intention of diverting resources from the Hindu OBCs without scientific data and by creating made-up communities with no social substantiality and existence,” Adhikari claimed.

“This is a clear attempt at appeasement under the guise of welfare. The Trinamool government is unethically trying to justify its issuance of flawed OBC Certificates, in wholesale, to its vote bank, by carrying out another erroneous & misleading survey.”

On his social media handle, the BJP leader posted images of one individual named Sk Lutfar who is identified as “Muslim Darji” in a form that says “Benchmark sample survey on backward communities of West Bengal”.

“Annexed herewith are the Forms of the fresh survey in my Assembly Constituency Nandigram. Just look at the names being filled in the column specified for the Community Name, on the Benchmark Sample Survey Form. These 'community names' were never ever heard before as existing Communities and are completely make-believe, fictitious and imaginary,” Adhikari alleged.

Last week the Mamata Banerjee government informed the Supreme Court that the state had started a fresh exercise to identify backward classes in Bengal and it would be completed within July. A division bench of Calcutta High Court had earlier revoked the OBC status of 77 Muslim communities which were included in the OBC category since 2010.

“A class is declared as OBC not only because it is backward, based on scientific and identifiable data, but also on the basis of such class being inadequately represented in the services under the state. Such inadequacy is required to be assessed vis-a-vis the population as a whole including other unreserved classes,” Adhikari said.

Last week, chief minister Mamata Banerjee had informed the state Assembly that once the legal battle over the quota issue is resolved 200,000 to 300,000 vacancies in various state departments would be filled up.

“Those against OBC recruitment have moved court, thereby blocking the recruitments. Yesterday, there was a hearing at the Supreme Court and it was good. I think the matter will be sorted out soon,” Mamata said on the floor of the House. “They [SC] have not stopped our survey, so we will continue it. I think once the survey gets the necessary go-ahead, recruitments could be initiated.”