Bengaluru, Feb 9 (PTI): Accusing BJP of using government machinery to target political opponents, Karnataka Congress Working President Dinesh Gundu Rao today called its national President Amit Shah "a coward".

He also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with Shah, was indulging in a "heinous" act of using departments like the Income Tax to target opposition leaders, which no other political leader has done in the past.

"Narendra Modi and Amit Shah are indulging in heinous act of troubling Congress leaders and their friends deliberately, through I-T raids and by using other government machinery," Rao told reporters.

Stating that no political party or leader or Prime Minister had indulged in "hate politics of this nature", he said, "to defeat and liquidate opposition party, no one had indulged in such cowardly act. So it is right to call Amit Shah - coward."

Condemning Rao's comments against Modi and Shah as "derogatory", BJP state President B S Yeddyurappa in a statement said, "by making such comments he is proving that he is unfit to be in public life."

He said the Income Tax department was an organisation that functions independently and making such comments was "irresponsible", "immature" and "childish" on part of Rao. Also, stating that comments were made to "impress" Congress President Rahul Gandhi who is visiting the state from tomorrow, Yeddyurappa has demanded evidence from Rao for his allegations.

The Congress party and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had earlier too accused the Modi government of using the Income Tax Department for its "political conspiracies", following searches by the department at multiple properties related to senior minister D K Shivakumar in August last year.