Hid role in Maharashtra was important but much more important was his role at the Centre.  In the four decades of the independence, Yashwantrao Chavan is the only person who has at one time or the other held the most important portfolios of Defence, Home, Finance, External Affairs.  There were many in the Capital who were surprise when Jawahar Lal Nehru picked up Yashwantrao Chavan to take Krishna Menon's place as the Defence Minster.  No two personalities could be more dissimilar.  Chavan had a difficult task because he was well aware of what Krishna Menon had done to lay the solid foundation of India's defence, particularly in the field of Defence Production and Research.  While acknowledging this debt he had to make it clear that under his guardianship defence had entered a new chapter of reorganisation of reconstruction.  Above every thing else, what was needed was to instil a new confidence and pride in the nation about its armed forces and in the armed forces about themselves.  In a way, it was the same psychological task in Delhi that he had to do in Bombay - creating a sence of pride and confidence.

Not only a freedom-fighter, Chavan was down to earth leader of the masses.  He worked for the socio-economic development of Maharashtra keeping always the interests of the whole country.  That was his priority.  In May 1960, he wrote to the then Prime Minister Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, "Maharashtra State will work for the welfare of the people, not only that whatever worth giving we have, whatever best we have in our lives, whatever noble things we have, we will first sacrifice for India".

One aspect of Yashwantrao Chavan's personality is often ignored.  Even while he was over-burdened with work, he always found time to read and read voraciously.  Writers, poets, play-writs all found in him a connoisseur.  Some of the speeches that he delivered at the Marathi Sahitya Sammelan are eloquent proof of the depth of his scholarship.

A great philosopher once said.  "In life we shall find many men that are great, and some men that are good, but very few men that are both great and good".  Yashwantrao Chavan was indeed a rare national leader who was both great and good.

This description aptly sums up the personality of Yashwantrao Chavan.