The Umno grassroots leaders slapped with a six-year suspension from contesting any party post, for asking their president Najib Abdul Razak to step down, want the same punishment for the rebels in Kedah.

"There cannot be a double standard when taking action (against Umno members)," Gabungan Ketua Cawangan Umno Malaysia spokesperson Kamarul Azman Habibur Rahman said today.

"We want justice and fairness. So we are demanding that a six-year suspension be served on all (Umno leaders) who were present at the press conference yesterday," Kamarul told reporters at the Umno headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

He had earlier handed over a memorandum of protest to Umno working secretary Abdul Rauf Yusuf.

Kamarul was responding to the special press conference in Alor Setar where Kedah Umno deputy chief Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipha announced that the state Umno has lost confidence in Mukhriz Mahathir as menteri besar.

Ahmad Bashah also called on Najib to replace Mukhriz as head of the state government.

The move is viewed as being linked to Mukhriz's father, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, for campaigning for Najib's ouster.

In accepting the memorandum, Rauf ( right in photo ) merely said: "I will receive it and pass it on to the party's secretary-general for further action."

Kamarul pointed out that there is no difference between their press conference and the one in Alor Setar.

He noted that the nine Umno branch leaders from Telok Kemang were made to face the disciplinary committee on grounds that there can be no public demand for any leader's resignation, or to express a loss of confidence.

At the same time, Kamarul also questioned Ahmad Bashah's reasons in calling for Mukhriz's resignation.

"We want to know, what was the basis to say that Mukhriz has failed as Umno state liaison chief and leader? What is the benchmark?

"Is this an attempt at assassinating Mukhriz's political career?" he asked.

Ahmad Bashah initiated the open war against Mukhriz yesterday, declaring that the state's Umno rank-and-file has 'lost confidence' in the leadership of the Kedah menteri besar.

He listed four main reasons for this, including Mukhriz's alleged failure to prepare Umno's machinery to face the next general election.

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