Mumbai: Days after a Maharashtra bill banning beef got Presidential assent, traders association of the red meat have come out strongly against the BJP-led state government, accusing it of "snatching" their livelihood for the sake of "vote bank politics".

"It is the duty of every government in the world to provide employment to its citizens. But this government has taken away our source of livelihood. Business that has been developed through generations has been destroyed in an instant only because of vote bank politics," said Beef Traders' Association President Abdul Qureshi.