The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has called for the team to pull out of the Games in Birmingham after shooting was dropped from the medal programme.

Rijiju said the final call had to rest with the Government, but that he supported the sentiment behind a potential boycott.

"Any major sporting event can be a vehicle to convey a larger message beyond sport itself," he said.

"When the matter was put before me by the IOA, their view was we should boycott the Games.

"I sought some time to try and intervene and wrote to the British sports secretary requesting the issue be considered.

"No Indian representative was present when the decision to drop the sport was taken at the Executive Council of the Games, so our view was not considered or given due importance.

"So if it has to be boycotted, the Government will take a call.

"We will take a final decision only after looking into all aspects, but we stand with the sentiment of the IOA."

Shooting is not a a core Commonwealth Games sport, but has been included at every event since Edinburgh 1970.

It is one of India's strongest sports and they won 16 medals, including seven golds, at Gold Coast 2018.

The country has already boycotted this month's Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) General Assembly in Kigali and IOA President Narinder Batra later described the Games as a "waste of time and money".

Alternative plans, such as hosting a Commonwealth Shooting Championship around the time of the 2022 Games, have been considered.

The 2022 Commonwealth Games, awarded to Birmingham after Durban in South Africa was stripped of hosting rights after a failure to meet a series of financial deadlines, are due to be held in the English city between July 27 and August 7.

CGF President Dame Louise Martin and chief executive David Grevemberg are set to travel to India to try and persuade the country to drop its threat of a boycott.