The JDU national council on Sunday stopped short of projecting Nitish Kumar as the party's prime ministerial candidate for the 2019 general election but labelled him the "most credible face" for the top position among all non-BJP parties in the country.

The national council, while unanimously approving Nitish as the JDU national president, authorised the Bihar chief minister to fan out across the country, including the Assembly election-bound Uttar Pradesh, to forge unity among the non-BJP parties so that the "communal and fascist forces could be driven out of power".

"Nitish is the most credible, capable, robust and secular face against communal and fascist forces lording over the country and fuelling social tension all around," party general secretary K.C. Tyagi told reporters, having emerged from the conclave. Senior ministers Lallan Singh and Bijendra Prasad Yadav accompanied him.

"Against Nitish's stupendous performance of always recording over 10 per cent growth rate throughout his rule of more than 10 years as the chief minister," said Tyagi, before adding: "The Narendra Modi-led government has thoroughly betrayed on its promises to the people."

"In course of the poll campaign, the Prime Minister had repeatedly promised giving 50 per cent minimum support price (MSP) to farmers. Now his government has filed an affidavit in the apex court telling that payment of 50 per cent MSP would amount to spoiling the Indian economy," said Tyagi and added: "What can be a bigger betrayal than this?"

The JDU national council authorised Nitish to form the new national executive and also the executives in the state.

Representatives of 20 states took part in today's closed-door conclave. Nitish will address his maiden presidential speech on Monday detailing the party's roadmap. So far, he was the interim president after replacing Sharad Yadav in April. The council on Sunday unanimously elected him as the JDU national president in the presence of Sharad.

On forging alliance among non-BJP parties, the JDU and Lalu Prasad's RJD did not look to be on the same page in Uttar Pradesh, Tyagi said: "The ideal situation should have been for the SP and the BSP to fight together. There was no need for us to intervene had the SP and BSP been together. But the JDU's main target is to nail the BJP. We will not do anything to harm the non-BJP parties, be it the BSP or the SP."