Dr Mahathir Mohamad claimed that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak did not talk to him for six months after he questioned the delay in building the ' crooked bridge '.

"For six months he didn't talk to me," Mahathir revealed in an interview with the Perak Today web portal.

He said the fallout followed a dinner between him and Najib during which Mahathir asked why the bridge project had not been carried out.

"He (Najib) said there was an agreement regarding the Johor Causeway which said we couldn't touch the causeway unless both sides (Malaysia and Singapore) agreed to it.

"(So I said) 'show me the agreement' (but) there was no such agreement," said Mahathir.

After that, Mahathir said Najib gave him the cold shoulder for six months until he (Najib) had a chat with 'Adnan Pahang'.

"He had a chat with Adnan Pahang and then he decided we should talk again. Okay, I talked, I met him," the former premier said.

'Adnan Pahang' is believed to be Pahang Menteri Besar Adnan Yaakob.

Mahathir said he had hoped Najib would build the bridge after Abdullah Ahmad Badawi did not.

However, he denied building the bridge would benefit him in any way.

"I'm not happy (Najib didn't build the bridge) because he had promised. (But) it is not for me, it is not I who will get the contract.

"Will I die if I don't get the bridge?" he quipped.

Instead he said, the bridge should have been built because it was Malaysia's right to do so.

"I don't want to 'kow tow' (prostrate) to Singapore. If Singapore doesn't want to build (another bridge) then I'll build on my side [...] that is our sovereign right [...] half the causeway belongs to us," he added.