Lucknow, July 18 :     The tottering government of R.P. Gupta was caught in a fresh controversy with a BJP legislator, whose wife was battered to death by some assailants, alleging that a key minister and ally had a hand in the murder. Ganga Singh Chauhan, the MLA from Hardoi, has accused power minister and Loktantrik Congress chief Naresh Aggarwal and the district police superintendent of hatching a conspiracy to 'eliminate' him. A group of eight armed men barged into Chauhan's home in Hardoi yesterday and severely assaulted the legislator and his 55-year-old wife, who died in the attack. Chauhan is battling with death in a hospital in Lucknow. In the FIR filed today by Chauhan's son, Hardoi police superintendent S.S. Maheshwari has been named co-conspirator in the attack on the MLA and his family and accused of 'patronising criminals and working as Aggarwal's henchman'. Aggarwal denied the allegations both against him and Maheshwari. 'I'm innocent and I will file a defamation suit against Chauhan,' the power minister said, adding that he would reply to the legislator's charges after he recovers. Amid mounting pressure from BJP legislators following the attack, Gupta today ordered Maheshwari's transfer to the Provincial Armed Constabulary. The government is even considering handing over the case to the CBI. Chauhan, however, said the action has come too late. The MLA claimed that four days ago, he had told the chief minister that Aggarwal and Maheshwari were plotting against him. But Gupta said he was helpless as he had to manage a coalition which is surviving with the support of Aggarwal's 20-MLA party. Chauhan said his misery goes back two years. He said he had complained to then chief minister Kalyan Singh against Maheshwari, saying the SP 'might one day send his goons to kill me'. Kalyan had apparently told him to 'have faith in God' as there was nothing he could do against the police officer who is believed to be Aggarwal's man. During his meeting with Gupta, Chauhan alleged that not only is Maheshwari perceived to be corrupt but he was sending wrong signals to the people by 'touching Aggarwal's feet at public functions'. But Gupta parroted Kalyan to say he could not remove Maheshwari as he had to 'run a government'. An MLA confirmed that Chauhan, along with nine other legislators, had met Gupta and told him he was concerned about his and his family's life. 'Guptaji did not even talk of taking any action against Maheshwari or removing him,' the MLA said, adding that 'he had to wait for the murder of Chauhan's wife to finally transfer the accused officer to the PAC'. Rajesh Pandey, a BJP member of the Legislative Council, said: 'Everyone knew that Chauhan had for some time been talking about a conspiracy to kill him, but no one did anything about it. Maybe now they will.' However, it appears unlikely that the government would be in a hurry to take action against those involved. Efforts are on to project the case as having no 'political content'. A senior BJP leader went so far as to say 'it is clear that the attack was the handiwork of the kaccha banyandhari gang. Robbery was the only motive. They were a criminal gang'.