The European Union is considering humanitarian assistance to the victims in Gujarat after a resolution was adopted in the European Parliament, which debated on the situation in the riot-torn state.
EU development aid commissioner Poul Nielson said he expects the European Commission -- the executive arm of the 15-nation European Union -- to take a decision on the relief plan within the next two weeks. The EU already has a cooperation programme in Gujarat where it is trying to speed up reconstruction after a massive earthquake hit the state last year.

A resolution was adopted with a very large majority in the European Parliament on Thursday after an emergency debate on the situation in Gujarat.

The resolution was submitted jointly by all the political parties, with the exception of the greens. “I have to say that this resolution is not the best way to help the Indian society to deal with the worrisome situation in Gujarat, a Portuguese member of the European Socialist Party, Maria Carrilho, noted during the debate.

Carrilho, who is the chairperson of the European Parliament's South Asia delegation, saw the violence as a manifestation of a larger and more complex phenomenon affecting the Asia region.

India is one of the largest secular democratic countries, in which several communities and religions live peacefully together, the resolution said, noting that the fact that troubles in Gujarat have not affected other parts of the Indian union testifies to the underlying strengths of India's democratic and tolerant society. Bureau Report