Beppe Fenech Adami and Mario de Marco.

Former Nationalist deputy leader Mario de Marco has sparked a call for unity and indirect support of Simon Busuttil, just hours after the party leadership asked him to step down. 

Dr de Marco uploaded the terms '#notinmyname #strongertogether' on Twitter and Facebook on Monday morning amid the political storm whipped up by the conclusions of the Egrant Inc inquiry. 

Read: PN piles pressure on Simon Busuttil to suspend himself from party

Other MPs took their cue from the former minister's words and started posting the same message on Facebook and Twitter. MPs Beppe Fenech Adami, Jason Azzopardi, Claudette Buttigieg, Therese Comodini Cachia, Claudio Grech, Ryan Callus, Marthese Portelli, Karl Gouder and Karol Aquilina were among those who tweeted the hashtags, as has former general secretary Rosette Thake, former leadership candidate Alex Perici Calascione, executive member Paula Mifsud Bonnici and PN councillor Wayne Hewitt. 

MEP David Casa said that when all else fails, "we take the fall together". Nobody mentioned Adrian Delia or the PN administration by name. 

Former party president Anne Fenech also broke her Facebook silence to show her dismay at the way things had unfolded.

On the other hand, MPs Kristy Debono, Robert Arrigo and David Agius and Robert Cutajar are among those openly supporting Adrian Delia.

The Nationalist Party administrative council unanimously called on Dr Busuttil to suspend himself from the PN parliamentary group on Sunday evening, hours after party leader Adrian Delia made the same demand. 

Dr Busuttil replied on Facebook, saying he would "keep fighting for justice, even without Adrian Delia's backing".