Estranged Thackeray cousins were locked in a nasty spat on Tuesday with Uddhav calling Raj disloyal after he took potshots at the Shiv Sena executive president.

"Compared to such 'namak haram' (disloyal) animals, it is better to photograph loyal animals in the jungle," Uddhav Thackeray told mediapersons.

He was responding to newsmen's questions on Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray's remarks on Monday that Uddhav should concentrate on clicking the potholes that dot Mumbai roads, instead of photographing wild animals.

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The Mumbai civic body is controlled by the Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party combine.

"What would someone who has committed the sin of breaking the unity of the Marathi people understand about love of animals," Uddhav said in a sharp riposte.

"Raj went to the Sir JJ School of Art but never completed his education. Had he completed the course, he would have understood camera and photography," Uddhav said.

It was not for the first time that Raj commented on Uddhav's penchant for photography. In May last year, Raj had acknowledged that Uddhav was a 'great photographer'.

"No questions about his photography skills.. Uddhav is a great photographer," Raj had said, leading to speculation on whether he was indirectly trying to play down Uddhav's role as a politician by focusing only on his expertise as a lensman.

Raj quit Shiv Sena on December 18, 2005 and three months later, announced formation of his new party.