During the inauguration of the 21st branch of Krishna Hindu Bakery and a Varah Jayanti celebration, BJP MLA Nitesh Rane promoted the conspiracy theory of “spit jihad”, referring to Muslims as “abduls” and claiming that Muslims spit into food they prepare and sell, including free samples. He also targeted halal food, claiming its proceeds funded “love jihad” and “land jihad”, urged Hindus to buy only from Hindus, including during Hindu festivals, and said people should avoid Hindus who do not wear a tilak or know the Ganesh aarti and Hanuman Chalisa; he further recounted confronting a shopkeeper he discovered was Muslim and claimed madrasas teach terrorism.