With the Supreme Court’s verdict in the Ayodhya land dispute case expected to be out any time this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the matter with his council of ministers in Delhi on Wednesday and asked them to refrain from making unnecessary statements on the subject and maintain harmony in the country.

The apex court is expected to announce a verdict in the 134-year-old title suit before Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi leaves office on November 17.

In the latest edition of his “Mann Ki Baat” radio programme on October 27, PM Modi had recalled how the government, political parties and civil society prevented attempts to create fissures when the Allahabad High Court ruling on the disputed land in Ayodhya was to be delivered in 2010.

He had described it as an example of how a united voice could strengthen the country.

The Prime Minister told his council of ministers that they should refrain from making unnecessary remarks on the issue and maintain an atmosphere of amity and harmony, sources told PTI.

He also emphasised that the verdict should not be seen through the prism of victory and defeat, they added.

The PM’s diktat comes after senior RSS and BJP leaders reached out to prominent Muslim clerics and intellectuals and stressed that irrespective of the nature of the top court’s ruling there should neither be ‘junooni jashn’ (excessive celebration) nor ‘haar ka hungama’ (brouhaha over defeat).

A meeting held on Tuesday at the residence of Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi was attended by RSS leaders Krishna Gopal and Ramlal, former Union minister Shahnawaz Hussain, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind general secretary Mahmood Madani, Shia cleric Kalbe Jawad and filmmaker Muzaffar Ali.

Also, the ruling BJP asked its workers and spokespersons to refrain from making provocative statements on the Ram temple issue. The party also told its MPs to visit their constituencies for maintaining calm.

The ruling party’s ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), issued a similar word of caution to its cadre a few days ago.

Daily hearings in the politically-sensitive Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute in Ayodhya ended on October 16 amidst high drama by the concerned parties in the Supreme Court.

The daily hearing on the matter commenced on August 6. Fourteen appeals have been filed in the top court against the Allahabad High Court order, which partitioned the 2.77-acre disputed land equally among Sunni Waqf Board, Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.

The apex court began daily hearings after a court-appointed panel failed to find a solution through mediation.