ALBANY – A Republican assemblyman said yesterday the Assembly minority leadership summoned him to a late-night meeting and accused him of plotting a palace coup.

The accusation, according to Assemblyman Daniel Burling, a pharmacist and former Marine from Wyoming County in Western New York, followed a candid conversation Tuesday night with party colleagues that began over dinner at an Italian restaurant and was carried over to the state Capitol.

The minority leader, Charles Nesbitt, confronted Mr. Burling, the deputy minority whip, after Mr. Nesbitt heard through aides that a coup was brewing among the same Republicans who had elected him only three months ago to a second term as minority leader, Mr. Burling said.

Mr. Burling said he had no interest in the minority leader’s job until the moment Mr. Nesbitt summoned him to his office behind the Assembly chamber around midnight and accused him of plotting against him. When asked directly whether he supported the leader, Mr. Burling – who says he was angered by the presence in the room of staff members – said he did not.

“I was asked to go in and see Mr. Nesbitt,” Mr. Burling said during a radio interview on “The Fred Dicker Show,” an Albany-area radio program based at the Capitol. “I went in with an open mind, and I could see there was a pretty solemn atmosphere in there. Quite frankly, I was accused of plotting to overthrow the leader.”

Mr. Nesbitt, who represents Orleans County, also in Western New York, said he was responding to a report that lawmakers were being asked to commit to Mr. Burling as minority leader in a late night huddle. The next election is nearly two years away, suggesting the members either were not aware of the rules or were acting under the influence of wine, exhaustion, or both.

“That kind of a request is not just idle talk,” Mr. Nesbitt said. “So I reacted to it.”

Mr. Burling said complaints about Mr. Nesbitt have been bubbling up in recent weeks without any thought of an attempted overthrow. He said that the wine at dinner contributed to a more spirited exchange than usual, but that Mr. Nesbitt overreacted by asking him for fealty on the spot. Mr. Burling said he was asked to leave the room after declining to pledge support.

Mr. Nesbitt implied that stiff consequences are in store for Mr. Burling’s role in the late-night vote-tallying. “I suspect Dan Burling won’t be sitting at the leadership table on Monday,” Mr. Nesbitt said.

The showdown between Messrs. Nesbitt and Burling came as legislators gathered to pass the final two bills of the state budget after weeks of intense negotiations and long workdays. And it came on the day Republicans saw one of their pet issues, the death penalty, die in an Assembly committee, despite solid bipartisan support in the chamber.

Mr. Burling described Mr. Nesbitt as likable person but a weak leader who has not stood up for party issues. He described himself as having the leadership qualities that he said Mr. Nesbitt lacks.

Mr. Nesbitt took over the Assembly leadership post three years ago when his predecessor, John Faso, left the position for an ultimately unsuccessful campaign for state comptroller. Mr. Nesbitt was re-elected by a one-vote margin over Assemblyman John Flanagan in January. His first election, too, was close.

Democrats, who have controlled the 150-member Assembly since 1975, have seen their already strong majority grow to 103 from 97 since Mr. Nesbitt took over.

Mr. Nesbitt countered that he has the strong support of his party and security in his post.

Republicans have held a majority in the 62-member Senate since 1966 but have seen their lead slip to eight in recent years and are now thought to be vulnerable to a Democratic takeover.

The contrasting styles of the courtly, clever Mr. Paterson and the quiet, plainspoken Mr. Nesbitt were put in bold relief at a series of public leaders’ meetings in the past two months.

Mr. Burling described himself as a “pretty strong conservative” who would fight to restore the death penalty and to reduce the cost of prescription drugs. He said that he opposes abortion and that he views winning back seats from the Democratic majority as a top priority.

The Assembly speaker, Sheldon Silver of Manhattan, fought off a coup attempt in 2000 from the majority leader of the Assembly at the time, Michael Bragman. Mr. Bragman and his allies had complained that Mr. Silver’s staff was overly centralized. Mr. Silver agreed as a condition of support to change some of the chamber’s rules.

Echoing Mr. Bragman, Mr. Burling criticized Mr. Nesbitt’s staff, zeroing in on the leader’s chief of staff, Kim Galvin. “We are elected, and the staff should be answering to us and answering to our needs,” Mr. Burling said. “I’ve heard if you cross Kim Galvin you get the ax.”

Mr. Nesbitt responded that some people may be uncomfortable dealing with women in positions of authority.