During the 15 years of the Awami League’s rule, Obaidul Kader, the former general secretary of the party and the Minister of Road Transport and Bridges, was in charge of the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) for 12 years.

There are allegations against Obaidul Kader for creating a huge corruption syndicate in road and bridge construction, maintenance, and all related works, involving commission-based business and embezzling thousands of crores of taka. He, along with his wife Ishratunnessa Kader, brother Abdul Kader Mirza, former MP of Feni Nizam Uddin Hazari, former MP of Noakhali Ekramul Karim Chowdhury, and former secretary ABM Amin Ullah, built a vast corruption network. Using his position as a minister, from 2011 to August 2024, Obaidul Kader and his syndicate accumulated a massive amount of wealth, engaging in large-scale irregularities and corruption in the road transport sector. According to his own election affidavit, his wealth grew by more than six times during this period, with his movable assets increasing by more than 13 times.

On July 15, in response to peaceful protests by students against the unfair quota system in government jobs, the ruling Awami League deployed police and paramilitary forces. Obaidul Kader, as the general secretary of the Awami League, ordered the student wing, Chhatra League, to attack peaceful protesters and shoot on sight. According to reports, at least 200 people died in the violence, and thousands were injured, though the actual number of casualties is likely higher. In addition, the police arrested over 10,000 people, including leaders of the student movement. Around 200,000 people were detained on various charges, a move that Amnesty International described as a ‘witch hunt.’