The Rajya Sabha has taken up discussion on the recent violent incidents in Maharashtra with several opposition leaders accusing the state government of failure to take effective steps to control the situation. Intervening in the brief discussion during the Zero Hour, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale appealed to the opposition benches not to politicize the issue and said the state government has taken steps to punish the culprits. <br/><br/>Sharad Pawar of the NCP gave a brief historical background of the importance of the place. He underlined the need for maintaining calm and unity. Describing the incident as unfortunate, Sanjay Rout of Shiv Sena denied the opposition allegation and said the state government has taken timely steps.<br/>Earlier, initiating the discussion, Rajani Patil of Congress alleged that the state government had not made adequate arrangements for the safety of the people. As soon as the House met for the day, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said that he allowed a brief discussion since several members had given notices for discussion in this regard.<br/><br/>