Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin was "power crazy" for supposedly demanding that party president Najib Abdul Razak quit.

This according to party secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, who accused Muhyiddin of doing so in his speech last night in Kuala Lumpur.

"At the end, (he) demanded my president to quit [...] he asked that the prime minister resign. That's crazy," he said.

"I didn't know their intention is, maybe it's gila kuasa (power crazy), " he said.

The former deputy prime minister can speak but he should not cross the line, added Tengku Adnan.

"From the (aspects of) the party constitution and ethics, he has crossed the line," said the federal territories minister, adding Muhyiddin might lose his position as Umno deputy president.

"Maybe that is what they want," he said.

"He knew what was stipulated in the party constitution […] he shouldn't have done this," he said.

"He had agreed at the last supreme council meeting and we had arrived at a consensus that (we should) discuss internal problems inside the party and not air them outside,"he said.

"How could (he) speak of the party's secrets and strengths out there? " he said.

"If you want to say that (I was) harsh on him, so be it," he said.

'Take a break'

Muhyiddin's public speech yesterday followed a decision by Umno that he would not be launching the AGMs for the party's three wings tomorrow just before the Umno general assembly proper begins.

Also present last night were former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Umno vice-president Mohd Shafie Apdal as well as veteran party member Aziz Yassin.

However, Muhyiddin in his speech in Kampung Baru had merely asked Najib to 'take a break' and not resign outright.

He said Najib should take leave pending investigations into state-owned investment firm 1MDB.

"Take leave momentarily, not resign. Just take a break. Don't let there be a perception that the prime minister is meddling in investigations.

"If he is not involved and we pray he is not, then come back to serve as prime minister again," said Muhyiddin.