More than anything, it's the composition of the committee that has raised eyebrows -- even within Congress circles. It contains four ``leaders'' who were asked to go home by voters: Moti Lal Vora, Jagdish Tytler, Nirmal Khatri and Prithvi Raj Chauhan. And Antony is the only CWC member in the team.

Others approved by Sonia are: Mani Shankar Aiyar, P M Sayeed, P R Das Munshi, K P Singh Deo, Santosh Choudhary and A Sangtam (he's the lone party MP from Nagaland).

Aiyar, the committee's convenor, told The Indian Express today that the members would have an intensive interaction with partymen including CPP leaders, MPs, MLAs and even those candidates who lost. ``There is no restriction placed on us as faras putting accountability (for the current failure) is concerned. This will be a completely genuine exercise,'' he said.

He said that the committee would do its best to submit the report before the party president by October 31. Though the committee members had met on Wednesday, they would hold a ``substantive meeting'' on October 24, he added.

But within the Congress, there is more cynicism over Sonia's first effort at ``introspection''. Many are quick to point out the fate of an earlier ethics committee which was headed by none other than Antony.

The recommendations of that committee, set up soon after party's previous performance in 1998, were pushed aside no sooner than they were made. That was to be expected, considering that its suggestions about not giving tickets to people with criminal record and adherence to a basic code of conduct were followed more in breach than in practice.

Congress-watchers see two rather obvious motives by Sonia loyalists in setting up the panel: It will keep the heatoff them and it will serve to cool the frayed tempers in the party's rank and file. More so in states like Orissa, Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi where the party was humiliated by the voters.

Others see it as a way to deflect attention from the ``real'' reasons. Said a Congress leader: ``How come there's no CWC member barring Antony in the panel? Why is the whole affair being kept at a low-key, so much so that there is no formal announcement yet? And what are the broad gudidelines for the committee members? Not many among us are fully aware of these points.''