Anas Sarwar, the interim leader of the Scottish Labour party, has distanced himself from criticisms of the Westminster party’s attitude to Holyrood.

Johann Lamont announced that she was to stand down as leader of the Scottish Labour party on Friday evening, describing some of her Westminster colleagues as dinosaurs who did not understand the politics they were facing since the referendum. Lamont accused them of trying to run Scotland “like a branch office of London”.

But speaking on BBC Scotland’s Sunday Politics programme, Sarwar said: “That’s not a reflection of how I view it. I don’t see it in those terms. I think the UK family came together to make sure we ran the most effective grassroots campaign we’ve ever done.

“As one of the colleagues that was elected in 2010, a generation that has always lived with devolution, I don’t think I reflect those dinosaur qualities.”

It is understood that Lamont was unhappy that the general secretary of Scottish Labour, Ian Price, was to be removed from office without her being consulted. She said the move had left her in an untenable position, adding: “The Scottish Labour party must be a more autonomous party which works in partnership with the UK party.”

Asked specifically about Price, Sarwar replied: “I can only tell you what I know which is that Ian Price resigned from his position as general secretary and I think we should respect his position.”

Pressed on whether he would put himself forward as a leadership candidate, Sarwar said: “I want to keep that option. I want to think it through but I think it’s right that I do what’s my responsibility which is to keep the Labour family together, to make sure that we have a quick process to elect a new leader.”

The former Scottish secretary Jim Murphy has emerged as a strong contender for the leadership, although Labour MSP Malcolm Chisholm said that electing an MP as leader would “turn a crisis into a catastrophe”. Gordon Brown has also been championed as a possible leader by some within the party, but is understood not to want a frontline role in Holyrood. Kezia Dugdale and Jenny Marra, two of Scottish Labour’s most impressive Holyrood performers, have also been mentioned, although their youth and relative inexperience may count against them.

This weekend, former Labour first ministers rallied to Lamont’s defence. Jack McConnell said he was very, very angry at her treatment, adding that questions must be answered before the election of the next leader of Scottish Labour.

“To undermine her position in this way, when the position of the Scottish Labour party leader was clarified so clearly three years ago, is in my view entirely the wrong way to go,” he said.

Henry McLeish, the former Labour first minister, said the crisis in Scottish Labour had been largely created at Westminster. “The job of leading Labour in Scotland has turned into a nightmare case of hassling between Westminster and Holyrood. The fact is that the leader has always got to look over her shoulder.”

Meanwhile, Alex Salmond called on Ed Miliband to respond directly to Lamont’s comments. “Labour’s meltdown in Scotland has been created by Labour in London,” the first minister said.

“Miliband should be answering questions about why Labour in Scotland is run as an extension of his Westminster office, and why he has effectively forced the resignation of a Labour leader in Scotland.”