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AHMEDABAD, India, April 4 (AFP) - Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on Thursday expressed shame and chastised his Hindu-nationalist allies ruling riot-torn Gujarat state as he visited for the first time thousands of Muslims made homeless by the violence.

An angry Vajpayee delivered his most direct rebuke to the state's chief minister, Narendra Modi, a member of his BJP party, who riot victims accuse of turning a blind eye to the bloodbath that has claimed more than 800 mostly Muslim lives.

"My one message to the chief minister is that he should follow Raj Dharam (ethics of governance). These are very meaningful words... a ruler should not make any distinction between his subjects on the basis of caste, creed and religion", he told reporters at the end of his one-day visit to the state.

The Gujarat government -- the largest state ruled by the BJP -- has been accused of giving less compensation to Muslim victims than Hindus and failing to ensure the safety of those who had lost their homes.

"I have told authorities to bring the culprits (of the riots) to book without any discrimination," Vajpayee added.

"All parties should come together and work towards the peace and progress of the state. We must leave behind what has happened and look ahead."

Earlier Vajpayee had made veiled criticism of Modi, when he said: "Government servants must understand their responsibility and work for the people. Politicians must understand their responsibility to work for the people."

"If anywhere there is discrimination along religious lines it is wrong and it should be stopped at once."

At a camp housing 10,000 displaced Muslims, he said: "I am talking to officials and to politicians. I have come to tell you that you are not alone. The whole country is with you."

More than 100,000 people have been languishing in relief camps, where many lack adequate food or sanitation and are still subjected to harassment, according to Amnesty International.

The refugees at Shah Alam camp mostly sat in silence as Vajpayee spoke, although security personnel had to remove some who had tried to chant slogans against Modi.

The premier announced a package of relief measures including two-months of free rations to families living below the poverty line in affected areas.

People who were disabled in the riots would receive 60,000 rupees (1,277 dollars), while children in the camps would be provided with free text books and school uniforms.

In rural areas, those whose homes were burnt down would receive 50,000 rupees.

Vajpayee, who was making his first visit to the state since the communal tensions broke out in February, said he had not come before as he was advised against it.

"I wanted to come early but was told that things were not OK. They said the added responsibility to arrange my security would hamper other areas of law and order", he said.

The frail premier also visited Godhra where he climbed into a train compartment that was torched by a Muslim crowd on February 27, an attack which killed 58 Hindus and set off India's worst communal violence in a decade.

The victims had been travelling back from Ayodhya, where Hindu hardliners -- many affiliated with Vajpayee's BJP -- were campaigning to build a temple over a razed mosque on what they said is the god Ram's birthplace.

"What happened there (Godhra) should be condemned, but events after that should also be condemned. They are more shameful," Vajpayee told the refugees.

"The aim of our government is to protect everybody's right to life and property and honour. There should be no discrimination. That is what our religion and culture teaches us."

Violence has continued sporadically since the riots subsided in early March. One person died Thursday in police firing in the northern town of Modasa at about the time Vajpayee was addressing the refugees.

Police were trying to control clashes which left seven people injured, including four stabbings.

On the eve of Vajpayee's visit, his first to Gujarat since the violence started, eight Muslims were killed, including five who were burnt to death.

Vajpayee acknowledged the damage done to India's international reputation.

"I don't know with what face I will go abroad after all of what happened here," he said. "Becoming a refugee in one's own country pierces the heart." 

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