\'I don\'t get excited, can take quite a lot of punishment\': Rahul Gandhi in London

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday opened up on his recent 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', a foot march spread over several months and straddling several states, saying that it afforded him an opportunity to connect with the people at a personal level.

The Congress Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad in Kerala was accorded a civic reception at the Grand Committee Room of the Palace of Westminster on Monday.

The Congress MP said there's been a 'fundamental shift' in the way he listens to people these days.

"There has been a fundamental shift in the way I listen to people. This started at the beginning of the yatra. By the end of the yatra, I came to this realisation that my way of listening had fundamentally changed. It was a personal thing and I found it quite interesting," Rahul said.

He said marching over 4,000 kms made him more patient and also enabled him to take criticisms and brickbats that come his way.

"Walking over 4,000 kms brings a semblance of patience into one's being. Hence, I see myself as much more patient. I don't get excited and can take quite a lot of punishment," the Congress MP said.

Addressing the event, the Congress leader said the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' stood out in the way, it allowed him to reach out and freely interact with the people. Rahul added that the informal nature of his public interactions during the 'Bharat Jodo' campaign was the standout feature of the event.

"....you are not talking down to people, you are not talking from a stage. You are actually talking with them," the Congress MP said at the event.

The foot march, which began on September 7, last year, saw several political leaders, both from the Congress as well as other Opposition parties, match steps with Rahul.

The yatra, which kicked off in Kanyakumari in the country's southern tip, culminated in the icy chill of Srinagar earlier this year.

The Congress MP raised the Tricolour at the iconic Lal Chowk of Srinagar, bringing the months-long foot march to a close.

The march, which according to the Congress was the longest undertaken by any political leader in independent India, received support from several Opposition parties and social organisations in the state.

Earlier, speaking at the prestigious Cambridge University, Rahul laid into the BJP-led government at the Centre claiming that democracy was under threat under the present dispensation.

Firing a fresh snooping charge at the Centre, he claimed that advanced Israeli spyware 'Pegasus' was being used to listen in to his private telephonic conversations.

The BJP dismissed the charges and accused the Congress leader of defaming the country and the government on foreign soil.