New Delhi: Ahead of the Supreme Court verdict on the Ayodhya issue, Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the sensitive matter with his council of ministers here on Wednesday and asked them to refrain from making unnecessary statements on the subject and maintain harmony in the country, sources said.

The prime minister made these remarks at a meeting of the council of ministers, while asserting the need to maintain an atmosphere of amity and harmony in the country. The Supreme Court is likely to deliver its verdict on the emotive Ayodhya issue before Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi retires on November 17.