The old leadership and indeed a good part of the emergent leadership as well are largely derived from the intellectual and upper classes. Shri Chavan because of his peasant stock brings to bear, within the new leadership, a fresh outlook derived from a sense of belonging to the masses. This lends special distinction and merit to his thinking and outlook.
The tasks of the older leadership in attaining Independence and subsequently in establishing parliamentary democracy in India were different from those facing the new generation of Indian leadership. In the independence struggle inevitably the old leaders attained the stature of giants in the public imagination. The new leaders will have to subject themselves to much closer analysis at the hands of the public. Today leadership consists in organising in detail the numerous political and administrative tasks into which the urge for national reconstruction can be broken down. Such leadership has to appeal to reason and logic and not merely sentiment; such leadership has to be patient and painstaking and mere slogans and flourishes are not adequate for its purpose.
Maharashtra's political and psychological complex has for certain historical reasons strange egocentric tendencies. Maharashtra has a recent history of political independence unlike other parts of India and a tradition of helping to shape all-India political destinies. Maharashtra is conscious and proud of its historical record. In recent years for various reasons especially since the death of Lokmanya Tilak, Maharashtra leadership has been disunited and generally of second class timber. With the emergence of Shri Yeshwantrao Chavan as the undisputed leader of Maharashtrian political life, both within the Congress and outside, Maharashtra once again gets an entry and a place of honour on the all-India political platform.
Shri Chavan combines respect for the regional tradition of Maharashtra with regard for national integration and views the prosperity of Maharashtra within the perspective of a prosperous Indian Union. As a result of this, instead of being a drag on the political life of the country, Maharashtra politics now bids fair to be an element of strength and stability and to help forge a new trail of progress in national politics. Maharashtra is peculiarly fitted to play the role of the Left Ginger Plank in Congress politics. It has always been radical: it has an active, intellectual middle-class without the moderating leaven either of feudal zamindari or of the new rich from industry and commerce; it has a vigorous and go-ahead small farm peasantry and a growing proletariat of skilled labour. If it plays this radical role successfully, without alienating the rest of the country and without frightening over-much the Right and the ‘haves’ of Indian economy, it would have contributed notably to the progress of India at this juncture. In these trends and developments Shri Yeshwantrao Chavan is obviously destined to play a crucial and indeed a decisive role.