The BJP will hold a people’s assembly near the party headquarters here on Friday to counter expected AAP onslaught during the special Punjab Assembly session over the defection of seven ruling party Rajya Sabha members to it.Senior BJP leaders — including state unit president Jattvibeil Jakhar, Punjab working president Ashwani Sharma, party’s national general secretary Tarun Chugh and Union minister Ravneet Bittu — will attend the event.The party is also likely to keep a watch on proceedings inside the Punjab Assembly and make counter arguments in reply to claims or allegations at their venue.Party sources said the BJP would conclude its programme after the Punjab Vidhan Sabha session to have last word on the issue.The BJP consciously avoided arranging a parallel assembly inside the Vidhan Sabha Complex, taking note of the fact that Leader of the Opposition in the Haryana Assembly Bhupinder Singh Hooda was served a legal notice for organising such a programme on April 27.According to sources, BJP leaders would raise key public issues and concerns amid the current political situation in the state.Anil Sarin, who is the general secretary of the state BJP, said the programme was being organised as the special House session was being convened to “serve political interests instead of public welfare”.He said under such circumstances, it had become essential to create a platform where the voice of people could be heard and represented effectively. “Janta di Vidhan Sabha aims to bring public concerns to the forefront and reinforce democratic accountability,” he added.