"If an elder sitting at his home puts forward his views, that is his right. People who want to follow it or do not want to follow it, it is their decision. In today's time, every person has his own right.
"As far as the panchayat system and traditions of the villages are considered, where people live together, they (panchayats) have played a positive role," Chaudhary, who is the son of Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh, said.
Chaudhary said panchayats and village elders put in continous effort to creat awareness among the youth about dowry, foeticide and other evil practices.
"Thus it cannot be considered as diktats or orders but can be called guidance," he said.
His comments came against the backdrop of directives issued by a panchayat in Asara village in Baghpat's Ramala area in UP banning love marriages and barring women below 40 years of age from going out for shopping and using mobile phones outside their homes.