India, March 26 -- In a speech laced with sharp attacks on former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, peppered with references to historical invasions by rulers such as Nadir Shah, and accompanied by a flourish of Urdu couplets by Ghalib and Bashir Badr and Sanskrit maxims, chief minister Rekha Gupta's maiden budget presentation was as combative as it was theatrical.

Her marathon 2-hour-18-minute speech, her first while presenting a state budget as chief minister, was shorter than the combined duration of the previous two Union Budget speeches presented by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

She blamed the previous Delhi government's clashes with the Centre for Delhi's financial troubles and promised a revival with the BJP-led Union ...