Narendra Modi is someone she would like to interview and Mamata Banerjee, according to her, is "a smart politician". Journalist Barkha Dutt allowed the audience a peek into her thoughts in a discussion with Trinamul's Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien at the Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet in association with the Victoria Memorial and The Telegraph, on January 26.

Talking about her book This Unquiet Land, Barkha spoke about how she was abused by a lover during her student days at Jamia Millia Islamia and why she included the personal episode in the book because it spoke about the place of women in India.

"During the book launch in Mumbai, Kangana Ranaut spoke about her being abused in the film industry. The moment I spoke up, the floodgates opened and she spoke about her experience too," Barkha said.

O'Brien raised the issue of the Nira Radia tapes and Barkha's name being dragged into the controversy. The Trinamul MP asked Barkha why she held a separate programme on NDTV after the tapes were leaked to prove her innocence. "As a journalist we go where the information is... I was horrified to see that my competitors in the industry were questioning my integrity. I agreed to hold the show because I was angry and also because I wanted my viewers to see that I can answer everything without flinching," replied Barkha.

Asked to name two people she would like to interview, the journalist-turned-author picked Narendra Modi and Donald Trump. She had earlier called herself an equal opportunity offender because neither Modi nor Gandhi liked her. "Modi doesn't like the English media and Rahul Gandhi doesn't like the media at all. He thinks we can all be dispensed with," Barkha said.

Towards the end of the conversation, O'Brien asked Barkha who she thought would win the upcoming Assembly elections in Bengal. Barkha saw Mamata Banerjee emerging as the clear winner. "She is a smart politician. She is going to win clearly. There is no competition," said the TV journalist.