Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin should learn from his Pagoh division deputy Ismail Mohamed on how a party lieutenant should defend the leadership, sniped Supreme Council member Nazri Abdul Aziz.

"He (Muhyiddin) has a lot to learn from his divisional deputy. It is the job of a deputy to defend his leader. This is truly something that Muhyiddin should learn from Ismail," the tourism minister told Malaysiakini .

Indeed, Nazri said that just as Ismail rose to defend Muhyiddin, so should the former DPM rise to the occasion and defend party president Najib Abdul Razak, instead of joining the chorus of criticism against him.

Yesterday, Ismail attacked Nazri for his comments equating the former deputy premier to a " dog busy biting" Umno's feet that he is hobbling his own party.

Ismail had responded that Nazri's statement is akin to " a pig that senselessly rushes into the fray " and should not be entertained.

Nazri also countered Ismail's refutation of his own lambast against Muhyiddin as being baseless and without facts, although he admitted it is the duty of party lieutenants to defend the leadership either way.

"In truth when he talked about rushing in senselessly, he was talking about himself, as he has no facts to foil my argument. He has nothing to back up his claim, as he is not arguing anything.

"But I admire him, for even without proper argument, he still came out fighting to defend his division chief, because he understood the duty of his division chief," he said.

Previously Nazri had criticised Muhyiddin for his ceaseless attacks against Najib, which he believed was conduct unbecoming of a deputy president.

The Padang Rengas parliamentarian had also said that he will be tabling a motion at the next Supreme Council meeting, to move for the party's disciplinary body to suspend Muhyiddin's Umno membership.