For Stefan Negoita, his business trip to Tamil Nadu has eventually put him in trouble as he was summoned by the Indian Immigration Bureau after his action has warranted the charges of visa violation. Stefan is a Romanian and the event that invited him a big problem was his campaign for the DMK in the upcoming Tamil Nadu urban local body polls. The state will go to the polls on Saturday- February 19 and the votes will be counted on February 22. 

The hectic campaign for the polls was over on Thursday and throughout the political arena, the state had witnessed unprecedented fashions of campaigning to seek votes as the polls for the grassroot institutions have cast a crucial test for the parties. Amid the bustling round-up, a particular scene that took place in Coimbatore had caught major attention from across the state as a foreign national was seen campaigning for the ruling DMK. 

Stefan Negoita is a Romanian who recently came to Tamil Nadu on a business visa. However, though he had a validity of the visa, he was brought under the scanner for defying the visa conditions and campaigning for the DMK. On Wednesday- he was seen riding a cycle in Coimbatore and that was put up with the DMK flags and he also had distributed pamphlets of the DMK party. The visuals of him campaigning for a political party had gone viral and won the attention of the Central government. 

Negoita has a business visa valid up to January 20, 2023, and he has been in the business of manufacturing sweaters in Romania. Reacting to Negoita's campaign for DMK, his business partner in Coimbatore, Gokul Kruba Shanker said that Negoita had recently travelled in a TNSTC town bus from his hotel to the textile unit. The Romanian was excited to know about the Tamil Nadu government's scheme of free bus travel for women. 

Negoita had asked about the scheme and other schemes brought by the DMK government and wanted to be a part of the campaign for the party that introduced these schemes, following which he carried the DMK flag and began speaking with the voters to vote for DMK. However, though visuals of his campaign had astonished the people, they had spurred the wrath of the immigration authorities as notice has been served to Negoita.

In the notice that was issued to him on Thursday, Chennai's unit for the Bureau of Immigration has said, "It has come to notice that you, Mr Negoita Stefan Marius, Romanian national holding Business Visa (E-Visa) valid till 20.01. 2023, have involved in activities (political/ election campaign) which is not as per your intended purpose of visit and it amounts to visa violation." 

"Hence, you are directed to appear in person to this office (Bureau of Immigration, Shashtri Bhavan Annexe, Hadows Road, Chennai on 18.02.2022 (AN) along with your original documents and explanation. Non-compliance of the above directions will render you liable for prosecution under section 14 of the Foreigners Act, 1946", the statement added. 

Earlier while speaking to The Hindu, Negoita has said that the free bus rides for women were a very important welfare scheme, as people from economically weaker sections could not afford to travel on their own vehicles. By citing that he was involved in the campaign for a day -on Wednesday, the Romanian said he had enjoyed the event.