Political consensus needed for any change in CAG mandate:CPI(M)

NEW DELHI: CPI(M) today said a consensus was necessary among political parties if any change had to be brought in the functioning or the mandate of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India ( CAG).

"If a suggestion has come from a Left party, that is the CPI, it is better if there was a proper consultation with the other parties and some sort of consensus should have been built," senior party leader Sitaram Yechury told reporters here.

Maintaining that CAG was a constitutional authority, he said any change in its functions, procedures or the mandate "cannot be done unless you amend the Constitution" which could be done only through a two-thirds majority in both Houses of Parliament and a number of state assemblies.

"Now, all this....is it necessary, is it worth the while? That is the question that comes up," Yechury said.

His comments came after CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh suggesting a three-member collegium, comprising the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and Chief Justice of India, to choose the CEC and the CAG.

The Prime Minister, on his part, replied to Dasgupta reportedly saying there was no urgent need to consider changes in the process of their appointment.

CAG has come in for support by Left and other opposition parties which have been saying it has done good work in "exposing" a number of scams, like those relating to 2G spectrum, coal block allocation and the power sector.