However Hadi did not identify the Umno leaders with whom he had issues.

Speaking at a press conference this evening, he said: “It was a shot in the dark,” adding that only those who were slighted by such criticisms knew it was levelled at them.

It was previously reported that Hadi had been criticised by his Umno counterpart Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Prior to this, Hadi had questioned the Umno leadership’s reluctance to welcome Bersatu into MN, the political alliance forged by the country’s two biggest Malay parties in 2019.

Hadi said such conduct went against MN’s charter, which sparked a strong riposte by Zahid who said “ulamas” should not manipulate Islamic teachings to fit one’s political leanings.

At the press conference today, Hadi said he had never mentioned Umno by name. “I said there were those who contravened (the MN charter). The Umno Supreme Council isn’t one person, but it consists of many.”

Hadi said the alliance could still be saved despite a report of his frosty relationship with Zahid.

Yesterday, sources from Umno and PAS confirmed that the two leaders had not met in a while.

The relationship between the two parties has come under scrutiny of late, particularly after PAS decided to contest under the Perikatan Nasional banner in the Melaka elections.

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