Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has accepted Communication and Information Technology Minister Dayanidhi Maran’s resignation from the Union council of ministers. A recommendation in this regard was sent to President A P J Abdul Kalam late on Monday.
Mr Maran had faxed his resignation letter to the prime minister late on Sunday in the wake of the DMK’s decision to get him sacked from the UPA ministry after he was charged with violating party discipline. “The prime minister has accepted Maran’s resignation and has forwarded it to the president,” a spokesman in the Prime Minister’s Office said.
There was speculation earlier about the timing of accepting the resignation in view of the ongoing budget session of Parliament. Mr Maran, who had reportedly planned to return to the Capital from his “holiday” in Tamil Nadu, stay put in the state.

Messenger
Ahead of Dr Singh’s decision to accept the resignation, Tamil Nadu power minister Arcot N Veerasamy air-dashed here as a special messenger of DMK president and chief minister M Karunanidhi to deliver two letters to the prime minister. Mr Singh, who was busy attending a full meeting of the Planning Commission, spared a few minutes to receive the message.
After meeting the prime minister at the Yojana Bhawan, the Planning Commission headquarters, Mr Veerasamy had a brief meeting with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
Mr Veerasamy declined to share the content of the letters. But he said the prime minister would fulfill Mr Karunanidhi’s “wish” of seeing Mr Maran out of the ministry. Soon there would be a mini-reshuffle of the Union ministry in view of Mr Maran’s exit, he said.

Raja to step in
While Mr Veerasamy did not reveal the contents of the two letters, speculation in the DMK circles here was that Environment and Forest Minister A Raja, a DMK representative in the UPA ministry, might step into Mr Maran’s shoes as the communications and IT minister.  Minister of State for Finance S S Palanimanikkam, another DMK representative, would be elevated to Cabinet rank and given Mr Raja’s Environment and forest portfolio.
Apparently, for Mr Palanimanikkam’s job, the DMK has favoured its Rajya Sabha member K P K Kumaran.