PATNA, Feb. 20 -- The state government was left red-faced in the state assembly on Thursday after a remark by rural works department (RWD) minister Ashok Choudhary triggered strong protests from the Opposition, forcing the chair to ask for expunging his statement from the proceedings and prompting a senior minister to step in with a firm assurance of equitable development. The controversy erupted when IP Gupta of the Indian Inclusive Party (IIP) raised the issue at the start of question hour. Gupta pointed out that Choudhary had told the House a day earlier that development funds would be "checked" - effectively withheld - from assembly constituencies whose MLAs had supported the cut motion moved by the opposition against the annual budget demands. Calling the statement unconstitutional, Gupta argued it amounted to a clear violation of Article 14 of the Constitution, which guarantees equality before the law and bars any discrimination in state action. He demanded that the minister's remarks be removed from the proceedings. Several opposition MLAs backed the objection, turning the floor noisy for several minutes. Speaker Prem Kumar, after hearing the members, agreed to expunge the controversial portion from the official records. Parliamentary affairs minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary then intervened to calm the house. "There has never been any discrimination in the matter of development in any part of the state," Chaudhary asserted. "It is precisely because of our consistent and tested track record of development work that the people of Bihar reposed their faith in the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government and voted it back to power." The episode comes at a time when the Nitish Kumar dispensation has repeatedly highlighted its focus on rural infrastructure, roads and connectivity under the RWD - a key portfolio that directly touches millions of voters in the state's vast countryside. In a separate development during the same session, confusion prevailed over the progress of the ongoing drive to issue unique Farmers' IDs in the state. Replying to a short-notice question by JDU MLA Shalini Mishra - which was actually raised by her party colleague Manjit Kumar Singh - agriculture minister Ram Kripal Yadav claimed that IDs had been prepared for around 45.18 lakh farmers so far. Citing the department's written reply, submitted on February 17, Manjit said that it was a matter of shame that only 25.28% of the 85.57 lakh registered beneficiaries (totalling 21.62 lakh) under the Centre's PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme had been issued the Farmers' ID till then. When the discrepancy was pointed out, a senior officer of the agriculture department said that the minister might have included IDs prepared for farmers covered under other beneficiary schemes while quoting the higher figure. Yadav later informed the house that his department has now joined hands with the revenue and land reforms department to accelerate the drive. He also sought to allay fears among farmers, clarifying that no one would be denied benefits under the PM Kisan Nidhi (Rs.6,000 per year) or any other central scheme merely for not possessing the ID yet. The assurance assumes significance because the Central government has recently made the Farmers' ID mandatory for availing PM Kisan and other flagship schemes from the current financial year. Several states, including Bihar, are racing against time to complete the exercise and avoid any disruption in the flow of funds to farmers. Both episodes - the funds row and the ID mismatch - kept the treasury benches on the defensive....