Posters targeting former MP and senior Congress leader T.N. Prathapan have appeared in Thrissur city, triggering fresh controversy within the party.

The posters, put up in the name of “Save Congress”, describe Mr. Prathapan as “Judas” and accuse him of betraying the family of late Congress stalwart K. Karunakaran. They allege that Mr. Prathapan had “cheated” the Karunakaran family and claim that he was responsible for weakening the Congress in Thrissur, once known as the political stronghold of the veteran leader.

Some posters also questioned why Mr. Prathapan harboured “so much hostility” towards the Karunakaran family. They accused him of defeating Padmaja Venugopal, Karunakaran’s daughter, and pushing her out of the party and later defeating K. Muraleedharan.

Similar posters had surfaced earlier in the city under the “Save Congress” banner after Mr. Muraleedharan suffered a defeat and slipped to third place in the last Lok Sabha election. The identity of those behind the posters remains unclear.