New Delhi, Aug 6 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hailed the passage of key Bills on Jammu and Kashmir as a fitting tribute to the great Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel who worked for India's unity, and said that a new dawn and better tomorrow await J&K.

He said that for years groups with vested interests, who believed in emotional blackmail, did not care for people's empowerment in J&K. "Jammu and Kashmir is now free from their shackles," tweeted the Prime Minister.

In a series of tweets in Hindi, English, Urdu, Dogri and Ladakhi, the Prime Minister also recalled Babasaheb Ambedkar and Jan Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee who devoted their lives for India's unity and integrity.

"Special congratulations to the people of Ladakh! It is a matter of great joy that their long-standing demand of being declared a Union Territory has been fulfilled. This decision will give impetus to the overall prosperity of the region and ensure better developmental facilities," Modi tweeted.

He also saluted the "sisters and brothers of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh for their courage and resilience."

In a big triumph for the government, both the Houses of the Parliament have passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill 2019 and adopted the resolution to scrap Article 370 of the Constitution which granted special status to J&K, paving way for bifurcation of the state into two Union Territories (UTs) -- Jammu and Kashmir with an Assembly and Ladakh sans one.