Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday accepted Union Minister Dayanidhi Maran's resignation from the post of Communication and Information & Technology minister and forwarded it to the President.

The resignation by Maran, the 41-year-old son of the late Murasoli Maran, nephew of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi, came under mounting demand within the party four days after Dinakaran, a daily owned by the Union minister's elder brother Kalanidhi Maran, was attacked in Madurai in which three people lost their lives.

Declining to elaborate on who misled Karunanidhi and what was the opportunity being capitalised, Maran told media persons on Monday that what had hurt him most was the suspicion about him in the chief minister's mind.

"I do not care about the ministerial berth. Ministry does not make any difference to me. I am only sad that an accusation has been put on me that I indulged in anti-party activities. Someone has tried to capitalise the opportunity," he said.